EV-71 Takes Toll To 34 In China

Hand-foot and mouth disease took lives of another two Chinese children, driving the national death toll to 34, even as the Health Ministry announced a decline in the viral illness cases in the worst-affected city.

On Friday the health authorities of east China's hardest hit central province of Anhui, confirmed that the two children died of hand-foot and mouth infection triggered by the potentially lethal enterovirus 71 or EV-71. 22 children have already died of this disease in its' city of Fuyang alone.

Gao Kaiyan, chief of Anhui Provincial Health Department said that the deaths have occurred in Bozhou, northwestern Anhui, and in Hefei, the provincial capital. No other deatils were provided by Gao.

On Wednesday the number of infection was 19,962 which jumped to 24,932 (reported cases), on late Thursday. Many cases have come up in the areas ranging from Guangdong province in the south to Jilin province in the northeast and major cities like Beijing and Shanghai.

In year 2007, China reported 80,000 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease with 17 fatalities. According to Spokesman Mao Qun'an, the figures were probably incomplete because reporting was not mandatory then.

Most of the cases in China have been blamed on intestinal virus called enterovirus 71 or EV-71, a severe form of the disease characterised by high fever, paralysis and swelling of the brain or its lining (meningitis).

The Guidelines Regarding Prevention and Control of hand,foot and mouth disease is published on the Ministry of Health website. According to it, the disease can be caused by a host of intestinal viruses, but the most common were Enterovirus 71 or EV71 and the Coxsackievirus (Cox A16).

The Health officials say that they expect a rise in the number of reported infections as a result of an order issued this week by the Ministry of Health requiring health care providers to report infections within 24 hours. The disease will likely peak in hot months of June and July.

According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus caused a large outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease in Taiwan in 1998 with 78 deaths. The smaller outbreaks recurred there in 2000 and 2001.

The hand-foot-mouth disease is a common childhood illness and is endemic in much of Asia. The disease spreads through contact with salivadefine, feces, fluid secreted from blisters or mucus from the nose and throat. Both adults and children can be affected, but young children below five years are particularly susceptible. There is no treatment for EV-71 infections nor does a vaccine exist. It is unrelated to the foot and mouth disease that affects livestock.

Some advice for the parents: Consult a doctor immediately if you notice your child has a fever, mouth ulcers and rashes on the palms, soles or buttocks. Be careful and notice any change in your childs' normal behaviour, e.g. irritation and sleepiness. And, if he/she has persistent vomiting or drowsiness or denials in eating or drinking get your child immediately to the hospital.