Epidemics Claim 2,228 Lives in First Half-year in China

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, July 17, 2003

Epidemics Claim 2,228 Lives in First Half-year in China

Epidemic diseases claimed 2,228 lives in China during the first six months of the year, an increase of almost 10 per cent compared with the same period in 2002, a report from the Ministry of Health revealed Wednesday. The increase was mainly attributed to the unexpected SARS virus, which has killed 348 people since November.

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The Chinese Ministry of Health Wednesday issued a briefing on the status of in fectious diseases in China during the first half of the year, indicating a declining incidence offset by a relatively high death toll.

According to the briefing, 31 provinces and provincial-level regions reported a total of 1,000,305 cases of 27 infectious diseases in the first half of this year, down by 4.34 percent year-on-year. The death toll, however, reached 2,228, up 9.86 percent.

Of the total, there were 5,327 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) cases and 348 deaths of SARS patients.

The 27 diseases comprise the official list of infectious diseases in China, with SARS added earlier this year.

According to the ministry, the top 10 infectious diseases in terms of incidence include viral hepatitis, tuberculosis and gonorrhea; while the top 10 infectious diseases in terms of mortality rate include rabies, AIDS and tetanus in new-born babies.

The three most deadly diseases were hydrophobia, virus hepatitis and tuberculosis, which killed 490 people, 426 people and 372 people respectively.

In the half year, no plague or poliomyelitis cases were reported. The latest figures show the number of measles, tuberculosis, hydrophobia and HIV/AIDS cases have been on the rise. But other infectious diseases including cholera and scarlet fever have been declining.

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