China says no epidemics from quake

BEIJING, June 3 (UPI) -- Chinese health officials say so far they have no reports of epidemics or major public health issues in the regions hit by the May 12 quake.

Health ministry spokesman Mao Qun'an said in the government's www.gov.cn Web site that any outbreak of a disease would be promptly announced to the public, Xinhua reported.

He said the deep burial of quake victims in the worst-hit Sichuan province were "scientifically handled" to ensure no contamination of water resources. The process included sterilizing the bodies before burial, he said.

"As time goes by, the major killers of in-patients are multiple organ failure and complicated drug-resistant infections," he said.

The official death toll from the quake was put at 69,107 as of Tuesday noon, with another 373,577 injured and 18,230 listed as missing.