On August 13, the Ministry of Health disclosed details of infectious diseases nationwide for July 2007.

A total of 406,667 categories A and B infection cases were reported on the mainland, resulting in 815 deaths.

Cases reported accounted for all 22 types of categories A and B infectious diseases except for plague, SARS, poliomyelitis, human bird flu, and diphtheria.

The most reported disease was pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), followed by hepatitis B, dysentery, syphilis, and gonorrhea. These five accounted for 85.76 percent of reported cases.

Rabies was recorded as the deadliest infectious disease with TB, AIDS, hepatitis B, and epidemic encephalitis B also causing a number of fatalities. 92.15 percent of deaths could be ascribed to these diseases.

135,953 cases of category C infectious diseases were recorded, leading to 3 deaths. Infectious diarrhea, mumps, and German measles accounted for 96.19 percent of illnesses in this category.

(Ministry of Health, August 13, 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 Category A. Category B diseases spread in less easy channels and at a lower speed, including typhoid fever, dengue fever, and scarlatina. Category C contains the least infectious, including tuberculosis, snail fever, mumps, and leprosy.