BEIJING - Ten people in China's western Xinjiang province died of measles last month and more than 4,000 were sickened, the local health bureau said Wednesday, in a dramatic rise in the number of cases.
The Xinjiang health bureau said the number of patients jumped from 1,149 in December. It did not say how many died during that month.
The province has offered free treatment for those infected and clinics are encouraging people to get their temperature tested, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Patients are being isolated from their families and others to avoid spreading the disease.
State media reports have said the incidence of measles in China has been rising since 1995, and the government is trying to immunize children in remote rural areas and migrant workers who come to the cities, where they may spread the disease.
The Xinjiang health bureau also said on its Web site that 18 people died of tuberculosis in January. It did not give any details.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease spread primarily through the respiratory system. Its symptoms include high fever, coughing and red skin spots. The fatality rate is low in developed countries, but higher in underdeveloped nations with poor health care.
Immunization programs have substantially reduced the number of deaths.
