More Chinese children die from virus; other countries hit
Pastor Dale Morgan
More Chinese children die from virus; other countries hit*
By MARGIE MASON
The Associated Press
Sunday, May 4, 2008; 7:10 AM
HANOI, Vietnam -- A common illness that typically causes little more
than a fever and rash has killed at least 26 children in China, and
health officials fear the worst may be yet to come as outbreaks occur in
neighboring countries.
China's Health Ministry issued a nationwide alert over the weekend after
the enterovirus 71 virus, or EV-71, which causes hand, foot and mouth
disease, infected more than 4,500 children in central Anhui province.
The outbreak is centered around Fuyang city, where 24 deaths have
occurred. On Sunday, the official Xinhua News Agency said the virus had
claimed the lives of two more children in southern Guangdong province.
"That's an extraordinarily high case fatality rate, and that's what
caught our attention," said Peter Cordingley, spokesman for the World
Health Organization's regional Western Pacific office. "Otherwise, it
would have passed under the radar."
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a childhood illness found worldwide that
spreads through contact with saliva, feces, fluid secreted from blisters
or mucus from the nose and throat. Symptoms typically include fever,
skin rashes and sores inside the mouth and on fingers and toes.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment, but most children affected by
the disease typically recover quickly without problems.
However, EV-71 can result in a more serious form of the illness that can
lead to paralysis, brain swelling or death. Many of the severe cases in
China did not exhibit typical symptoms, and the children eventually died
from respiratory problems, which kept Chinese experts puzzled about the
cause of the outbreak, said Hans Troedsson, WHO country representative.
He told reporters Sunday that while more cases are expected, he is
confident the outbreak does not pose a serious threat.
The disease, which is not related to foot and mouth disease that affects
livestock, is endemic across Asia and many countries experience annual
flare-ups.
But experts worry that the more severe virus is becoming more common.
Vietnam and Singapore have both recently seen a sharp increase in cases,
including ones linked to EV-71.
"On average, several children die from the disease each month at the
hospital," said Dr. Nguyen Quang Vinh at Children's Hospital No. 1 in
Vietnam's southern Ho Chi Minh City. "Those children die not because
they are admitted to the hospital late, but because their disease
develops fast and attacks the brain and heart."
The number of cases reported nationwide this year in Vietnam was not
immediately available, but state-run media have reported that some
children's hospitals have seen increases of up to seven times over last
year.
Infections also continue to rise in Singapore, which has reported more
than 9,000 cases this year, with EV-71 found in 25 percent of the
samples tested. No deaths have been reported in the wealthy city-state,
but the government has ordered 11 preschools and child-care centers
closed, according to the Health Ministry's Web site.
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.
The outbreak in China comes as the country gears up for the Olympic
Games. WHO's Troedsson said the disease should not disrupt the Beijing
games, which start Aug. 8.
"I don't see it at all as a threat to the Olympics or any upcoming
events. ... This is a disease mainly affecting young children," he said.
He said it is important for China's Health Ministry to brief the public
about such outbreaks early on, even if officials are unclear about the
cause.
No official information on the virus was released to the public until
last week, leading to widespread rumors and fear among parents,
according to local media reports.
Suspicion continues to surround the Chinese government's handling of
disease outbreaks following allegations of a cover-up during the 2003
emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which
originated in southern China and eventually killed nearly 800 people
worldwide.
The Health Ministry alerted WHO two weeks ago that it had been working
to identify the disease, which began spreading in Anhui province in March.
The ministry has dispatched teams to the area to coordinate treatment
and prevention measures. State-run television showed workers spraying
disinfectant around houses in rural areas outside Fuyang and medical
teams visiting families with small children.
A major enterovirus outbreak hit Taiwan in 1998, infecting up to 300,000
children with hand, foot and mouth disease and killing at least 55,
according to WHO.