I. General Situation of Epidemics
During the 13th week of 2009 (from March 30 to April 5), 2298 cases of 17 legally defined infectious diseases with 4 cases of death (hepatitis B) were reported in 18 districts and counties of Beijing Municipality.Among them, 896 cases out of 11 categories of Type B infectious diseases were reported, 0.99% lower than last week and 1.86% lower than the same period of last year. The top 5 categories of diseases with the highest reported incidence rates were as follows: tuberculosis, dysentery, hepatitis B, syphilis and measles. And 1402 cases out of 6 categories of Type C infectious diseases were reported, up by 52.06% and 85.94% as against last week and the same period of last year respectively. Among the Type C cases, the number of hand-foot-mouth disease was 788, accounting for 56.21% of the total.

II. Major Epidemics
1. Measles
This week, a total of 74 cases of measles were reported in Beijing, 6 cases more than the previous week and 1 more than the same period of last year. Among the different sections of the city, Chaoyang, Fengtai and Haidian Districts were the top 3 in terms of the number of reported cases and the sum of the three accounted for 62.16% of the reported total. Those infected were mainly scattered-living children, housekeeping and unemployed people, students and staff in the commercial service sector, accounting for 75.68% of the total.

2. Chicken Pox
A total of 388 cases were reported this week, down by 0.51% than last week and up by 10.86% than the same period of last year respectively.The top 5 regions reporting the most incidence rates were Fengtai, Changping, Haidian, Chaoyang and Daxing Districts, accounting for 62.37% of the total reported. Those infected were mainly students and preschool children, accounting for 84.02% of the total.
 
This week also saw a case of sudden outbreak of chicken pox, reported by a primary school in Dachengzi, Miyun County. From March 30 to April 4, an aggregate of 12 cases of the disease took place at the school. By now, such measures have been adopted as isolated treatment of patients, emergent inoculation and disinfection.
 
3. Hand-foot-mouth Disease
This week, a total of 788 cases were reported, up by 337 than last week. The top 5 regions reporting the most incidence rates were Fengtai, Changping, Chaoyang, Haidian and Fangshan Districts, accounting for 65.74% of the total reported. Those infected were mainly children that are either living scatteredly or in nurseries and kindergartens, accounting for 95.56% of the total.

III. Non-professional Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Report
This week, a total of 28 cases were reported in Beijing with 40 people poisoned and none died.

IV. Key Notes
As it’s a peak season in April for incidence of such respiratory infectious diseases as measles, scarlatina, epidemic parotitis, chicken pox and so on, 350 cases of 3 types of diseases, i.e. measles, scarlatina and tuberculosis, have been reported this week, accounting for 39.06% of the total Type B cases reported and 13.64% higher as against the same period of last year. In view of that, the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau has required medical and disease prevention institutions at all levels to cooperate closely with departments related to education, construction, etc, and further improve their work of monitoring and managing medical conditions on a daily basis toward childcare institutions, schools and institutions with mass labour forces. In the other hand, upon finding patients, imidiate isolated treament should be secured and preventive and control measures be adopted as early as possible.

Moreover, as it gets warmer, the Bureau also requires various medical institutions to strengthen their work in preventing and controling intestinal infectious diseases so as to keep epidemics from breaking out.