Deadly virus kills 28 children in China
BEIJING (AP) - May 7, 2008 So far there have been 15,799 cases of hand, foot and mouth
disease this year, the official Xinhua News Agency said, cropping
up in areas ranging from the tropical island province of Hainan in
the south to Jilin province in the northeast and Yunnan province in
the southwest.
The number and scope of cases in recent years, along with the
need for increased surveillance, prompted the Health Ministry to
enforce the new reporting rules, spokesman Mao Qun'an said.
"This demonstrates our commitment to people's health," Mao
said at a rare news conference held jointly with the World Health
Organization.
Under the mandate that took effect Tuesday, health care
providers need to report cases to the ministry within 24 hours.
Hand, foot and mouth disease spreads through contact with
saliva, feces, fluid secreted from blisters or mucus from the nose
and throat. There is no vaccine or specific treatment, but most
children affected by the disease typically recover quickly without
problems. It is unrelated to the foot and mouth disease that
affects livestock.
The rocketing number of cases burgeoning across a large area of
China brings up parallels with the Communist leadership's handling
of previous infectious outbreaks, especially that of SARS in 2003.
Government attempts to conceal the emergence of severe acute
respiratory syndrome - a new disease at the time - contributed to
its spread, ultimately causing 774 deaths worldwide and forcing
Beijing to apologize amid international criticism.
Xinhua reported this week that 10 people had been punished for
failing to properly tackle hand, foot and mouth in the hard-hit
central province of Anhui, where 22 children have died. Mao said
they had been "criticized" for how they handled the situation but
did not give any details.
The outbreaks are the latest headache for authorities as they
gear up for this summer's Beijing Olympics. Preparations have
already been upset by unrest in Tibet and protests during the
global torch run.
Mao insisted there would not be any impact on the games, which
begin Aug. 8. Already embassies and foreign schools have sent out
notices urging vigilance against the disease.
Both Mao and WHO China representative Hans Troedsson said they
expected more cases to emerge because of the tighter reporting
requirements and because the disease will likely peak with warmer
weather in June and July.