On June 11, the Ministry of Health disclosed details of infectious diseases nationwide for May 2007.

A total of 363,467 categories A and B infection cases were reported nationwide on the mainland resulting in 590 deaths.

Cases reported accounted for all 22 types of categories A and B infectious diseases except for plague, SARS, poliomyelitis, human bird flu, and diphtheria.

The most reported disease was pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), followed by hepatitis B, dysentery, measles, and syphilis. These five accounted for 86.25 percent of reported cases.

Rabies was recorded as the deadliest infectious disease with TB, AIDS, hepatitis B, and infant tetanus also causing a number of fatalities. 89.83 percent of deaths could be ascribed to these diseases.

108,896 cases of category C infectious diseases were seen, leading to 6 deaths. Of which, infectious diarrhea, mumps, and German measles accounted for 96.60 percent of illnesses in this category.

During May, 49,002 cases of intestinal infectious diseases were detected indicating a 38.35 percent rise over last month and 0.88 percent down over the same period of last year.

The ministry urged local health departments to strengthen the monitoring of food sanitation and improve the reporting of intestinal infectious diseases as this is high season for this type of disease.

(Ministry of Health, June 11, 2007)

Note:
Infectious diseases are classified into A, B, and C in China based on nature, transmission channel, and speed. The most pandemic diseases -- including plague, cholera, and SARS -- fall into the Category A. Category B diseases spread in less easy channels and at a lower speed, including typhoid fever, dengue fever, and scarlatina. Category C is for the least infectious, including tuberculosis, snail fever, mumps, and leprosy.