Tuberculosis (TB) was the top cause of death from infectious diseases in China in the first quarter of 2006. During that period a total of 2,068 people died from diseases, according to the Ministry of Health.

 

The top five fatal infectious diseases from January to March were tuberculosis (TB), hydrophobia, hepatitis B, AIDS and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis with these  accounting for 88.74 percent of all deaths, says the ministry's quarterly epidemic report.

 

TB, hepatitis B, gonorrhea, bacterial and amebic dysentery and syphilis accounted for 87.83 percent of total cases, the report states.

 

Nine human cases and six deaths as a result of bird flu were reported during the quarter. This takes the number of human infections in China to 16 and fatalities to 11. Ten provinces, cities and regions have detected human cases of bird flu.

 

Local health authorities must continue improving surveillance and screening for human bird flu as well as pneumonia with unknown causes, the ministry said. Timely preventive measures had to be taken when the ailments were detected.

 

The report also mentions 20,229 cases of general flu in the quarter which is an increase of 13.22 percent over the same period last year. The ministry has urged those in authority to improve monitoring and prevention of flu in schools as this year most of the outbreaks have occurred in middle and elementary schools.

 

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2006)