Infectious diseases kill nearly 1,400 on Chinese mainland in Sept

A total of 1,390 people were killed by infectious diseases in September, the Ministry of Health said Monday. The ministry said in an online statement that one person died from bubonic plague, while seven cases of cholera resulted in no deaths. Plague and cholera are categorized as Class A infectious diseases, the most serious classification under China's Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases. A total of 317,564 cases of Class B diseases were reported last month, resulting in 1,353 deaths. No cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), human H5N1 or class B diphtheria were reported. According to the statement, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, dysentery and gonorrhea were the five most frequently reported Class B diseases in September. There were 229,360 cases of Class C disease infections, causing 36deaths. Foot-and-mouth disease, diarrhea and parotitis accounted for 95 percent of all reported cases of Class C diseases.