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 yesterday.

The increase was mainly attributed to the unexpected SARS virus, which has killed 348 people since November.

As of yesterday, there were still 14 SARS cases being handled by Beijing's hospitals, according to the ministry.

In the first half of 2003, just over 1 million people were infected by the 27 different kinds of diseases that are listed on China's Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases. The figure is down about 4.3 per cent compared with the first six months last year.

According to the number of cases over the 2003 period, the top types of infectious diseases were viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, amoebic and bacillary dysentery, gonorrhea, measles, syphilis, typhoid fever, epidemic haemorrhagic fever, malaria and scarlet fever.

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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