On May 10, the Ministry of Health disclosed details of
infectious diseases nationwide for April 2007.
A total of 364,857 categories A and B infection cases were
reported nationwide on the mainland resulting in 589 deaths.
Cases reported accounted for all 22 types of categories A and B
infectious diseases except for plague, cholera, SARS, poliomyelitis
and human bird flu.
Coming out as the most reported disease was pulmonary
tuberculosis (TB), followed by hepatitis B, dysentery, syphilis and
measles. These five accounted for 86.91 percent of reported
cases.
Rabies was recorded as the deadliest infectious disease with TB,
AIDS, hepatitis B, and epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis also
causing a number of fatalities. 90.49 percent of deaths could be
ascribed to these diseases.
81,015 cases of category C infectious diseases were seen,
leading to 4 deaths. Infectious diarrhea, mumps, and German measles
accounted for 93.36 percent of illnesses in this category.
(Ministry of Health, May 10, 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, scarlatina.
Category C is for the least infectious, including tuberculosis,
snail fever, mumps and leprosy.