Scientists at the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute in Beijing conduct experiments. [Provided To China Daily]

BEIJING -- A total of 2,013 people died of infectious diseases on the Chinese mainland in August, official data showed.

According to the National Health Commission, there were 716,823 cases of infectious diseases reported on the mainland in August.

Altogether 12 cases of cholera were reported, with no cases of plague. No fatalities caused by these diseases have been reported, the commission said.

Cholera and the plague are classified as Class A infectious diseases, the most serious classification in China's Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases.

A total of 319,926 cases were classified as Class B infectious diseases, resulting in 2,006 deaths. Viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, gonorrhea and dysentery accounted for 93 percent of these cases.

Category C diseases caused seven deaths in August. Foot and mouth disease, infectious diarrhea and influenza were the most prevalent in this category, accounting for 94 percent of the reported cases.