The government will revise laws on the prevention of infectious diseases to enhance its response to new outbreaks.

The Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said Thursday that Type A hepatitis is currently classified as an infectious disease designated by law, but it will be reclassified into the Class 1 contagious disease category as the disease has shown a high incidence of occurrences lately.

Class 1 diseases include cholera, typhoid and the plague.

Under the proposed revisions, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) and variant CJD (vCJD) will be placed under Class 3. The two have also been classified as legally designated infectious diseases. Class 3 diseases include malaria, tuberculosis and Hansen's disease.

The ministry will also seek to set up an infectious disease control committee.