AROUND three in every 1,000 people were diagnosed with infectious diseases in Shenzhen last year, the city’s health bureau announced Saturday.

The bureau will launch an inspection between Wednesday and Friday on hospitals’ capability to prevent infectious diseases after the number of Hepatitis C, rabies and infectious diarrhea cases rose sharply, the bureau’s report said.

Last year, more than 320,000 cases of infectious diseases were reported in Guangdong Province, 9.14 percent more than the previous year. More than 37,000 cases of infectious diseases were reported in Shenzhen.

The bureau will inspect 18 medical institutions out of 92 major hospitals in the city this week. It will also investigate whether there have been unreported cases and carry out an examination of infectious disease control staff in local hospitals.

Doctors warn that people should be aware of the danger of infectious diseases and develop healthy habits like not sharing cups or chopsticks.

Meanwhile, the city’s first liver disease prevention and treatment committee was founded yesterday with professor Dai Wei from Third People’s Hospital serving as director.

The Central Government has listed Hepatitis B after AIDS as a top concern for disease control in China. The government will invest 3 billion yuan (US$389.61 million) to prevent 50 kinds of infectious diseases in the next few years.(Li Dan)