I. General Situation of the Epidemics

In the 40th week of 2008 (from 0 a.m. on Oct. 6 to 12 p.m. on Oct. 12), 2,182 cases of 17 notifiable infectious diseases were reported in 18 districts and counties across Beijing, with 6 deaths confirmed (5 cases were caused by hepatitis B, and 1 case by tuberculosis). Among them, there were 1,109 cases of 11 types from Class B infectious diseases, up 89.9％ from last week and down 12.47％ from the same period of last year. The top five categories of diseases with the highest incidence rates are listed as follows: diarrhea (519 cases), tuberculosis (266 cases), hepatitis B (101 cases), syphilis (96 cases), and gonorrhea (39 cases); 1,072 cases of five types from Class C infectious diseases were reported, down 3.07％ from last week and down 18.29％ from the same period of last year.

In this week, 1,072 cases of five types from Class C, i.e., infectious diarrhea, hand-foot-mouth disease, epidemic parotitis, rubella and acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis were reported, accounting for 49.13 % of the total number of notifiable infectious disease cases, down 18.29% from the same period of last year.

II. Analysis of the Major Epidemic Situation

(1) Diarrhea

This week, 519 cases were reported throughout the city, up 18.22% from last week and down 28.71% from the same period of last year. The five districts and counties that reported the most disease cases were Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai, Changping, and Dongcheng, accounting for 60.31% of the total of disease cases. Students, scattered-living children, retirees, cadres, cadres & clerks and housework & unemployed people were in the majority of diarrhea patients, accounting for 73.22% of the reported patients.

(2) Chicken pox

This week, 183 cases of chickenpox were reported, up 92.63% from last week. The five districts and counties that reported the most disease cases were Haidian, Chaoyang, Changping, Shunyi and Daxing, accounting for 62.30% of the total of disease cases. The infected patients were mainly pupils and preschool children, who accounting for 84.15% of the reported patients.

Ⅲ. Important Reminder
As Beijing has already ushered in the peak season for respiratory infectious diseases, health and epidemic prevention authorities must pay special attention to the monitoring and reports of respiratory infectious diseases =>while continuing to make great efforts for control and prevention against intestinal infectious diseases, such as diarrhea and infectious diarrhea in order to avoid epidemic outbreaks.