753 deaths from infectious disease reported in March

BEIJING -- China reported 753 deaths from infectious disease in March, according to the country's health ministry.

Last month, 456,209 cases of contagious disease were recorded nationwide, the ministry said. It noted the figures didn't include those from China's Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao regions.

The disease included AIDS, hepatitis, diarrhea and measles, among others. No cases of plague, cholera, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), polio, human bird flu, dengue or diphtheria were reported, the ministry said on its website.

AIDS was the deadliest of all the infectious diseases with 260 fatalities last month, according to the ministry.