"Chinese health-care officials are scrambling to contain the outbreak of a contagious and sometimes deadly intestinal virus--known as Enterovirus 71 (EV71)--that has already claimed the lives of at least 28 children and is likely to continue spreading. EV71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), a condition that may bring on fever, blisters in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. The most affected city is Fuyang where at least 3,736 cases of EV71 have been reported, according to the International Business Times .
Those sickened by EV71 often show serious symptoms, the International Society for Infectious Diseases reports. It can also lead to meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema, and paralysis in some children. There is no vaccine. So far there have been 15,799 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease this year, China's official Xinhua News Agency says, 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, according to the International Herald Tribune.
In a May 4 AP story, a spokesman for the World Health Organization's regional Western Pacific office crystallized the cause for concern. "That's an extraordinarily high case fatality rate, and that's what caught our attention," said Peter Cordingley. "Otherwise, it would have passed under the radar." WHO issued a warning last week predicting that the outbreak will likely continue in China for the next few months because the virus tends to thrive in hot weather. It advised disinfection and frequent hand washing to prevent its spread, along with closing schools and daycare centers in hard-hit areas, according to the AP."
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