BEIJING, Nov. 18 -- Infectious diseases killed 1,448 people last month on the Chinese mainland, according to official figures.

A total of 609,509 cases were reported in October on the Chinese mainland, according to a statement released Tuesday by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

Included were two fatal plague cases and four cases of cholera, none of which resulted in death. The two diseases are categorized as Class A, the most serious category.

A total of 301,589 cases of Class-B infectious diseases were reported, leading to 1,421 deaths. Hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, dengue fever, dysentery accounted for 92 percent of the cases in this category.

Class-C infectious diseases claimed 25 lives, with most cases attributed to foot-and-mouth disease, infectious diarrhea and mumps.