BEIJING -- A total of 2,198 people died as a result of infectious diseases on the Chinese mainland in December 2017, official data showed.

According to the National Health and Family Planning Commission, there were 699,850 cases of infectious diseases reported on the mainland in December.

One person died from plague while no cases of cholera were reported in December.

Plague and cholera are classified as Class A infectious diseases, the most serious classification on China's Law on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases.

A total of 294,397 cases were classified as Class B infectious diseases, resulting in 2,187 deaths. Viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, gonorrhoea as well as scarlet fever accounted for 93 percent of these cases.

Category C diseases caused 10 deaths in December. Infectious diarrhea, influenza, foot and mouth disease were the most prevalent in this category, accounting for 93 percent of cases.