China's Ministry of Health told health departments nationwide Tuesday to beef up efforts in preventing epidemics in autumn.

Kindergartens and schools were called upon in a notice to intensify their daily monitoring and disinfecting work against Acute Hemorrhagic Conjunctivitis (AHC) and hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD).

Further, hospitals and health agencies were urged to improve the quarantine treatment for cholera patients to minimize the death rate of the disease and intensify the searching for possible cholera-infected cases, the notice said.

It also issued instructions on prevention and treatment of dengue fever.

(Xinhua News Agency September 29, 2010)