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HEFEI: A mass intestinal virus infection in Fuyang
City in east China’s Anhui Province has hit 2,477 children and
killed 21 others, a provincial government spokesman said Thursday.
Among the infected, 738 had been
cured. The death toll had been steady at 21 for four days. Another
702, including 36 seriously ill, were still in hospital and under
observation. The outpatients numbered 1,017 the spokesman said.
Hospitals in Fuyang started to
take in children with fever, blisters, mouth ulcers and rashes on
their hands and feet in early March. Some were diagnosed with brain,
heart and lung damage.
All were aged below 6, of whom
the majority being under two.
In a bid to stop the virus
spreading to more children, all kindergartens in Fuyang City began
the May Day holidays two days early.
There are about 400,000 children
below the age of 5 in Fuyang.
Enterovirus 71 can cause hand,
foot and mouth disease that usually starts with a slight fever
followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on hands and
feet.
It may also cause high fever,
meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in a small
number of children.
Infection could lead to high
mortalities rates in serious cases and no vaccine was available.
--Xinhua
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