Rabies kills 201 people in China in May 2007

Beijing, June 12: Rabies killed 201 people in China last month, staying at the top of the list of the most deadly infectious diseases in the country, state media said today.

Rabies has topped the list for the last 13 months, except in March when tuberculosis came first, the China Daily said, blaming dogs for spreading the disease.

Beijing has introduced a ''one family, one dog'' policy and last year launched a campaign against unregistered dogs.

The State Food and Drug Administration also said last year it would severely punish companies that produce fake and poor quality rabies vaccines, after several people reportedly died from substandard vaccines.

Fake or bad drugs have killed dozens of people in China in recent years and raised questions about drug safety.

Last year, Shanghai implanted digital chips in the ears of 65,000 dogs to improve ''canine management'' and prevent the spread of rabies.

Pet dogs were shunned in the days of Mao Zedong as a symbol of bourgeois decadence but have become increasingly popular in the past decade with improved living standards.

Rabies is an acute viral infection that is nearly always fatal.

It can be transmitted by the bite of an infected animal, usually a dog.

Rabies kills about 50,000 people across the world each year.

Reuters>