Plagues,
Pestilences and Diseases
Hand, Foot and Mouth Virus sickens 110,000 in Vietnam, kills
at least 200
HANOI, Vietnam — Vietnam says an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth
disease has infected more than 110,000 people this year and killed
at least 200, most of them children under 5 years old.
A Health Ministry official said Friday that the infection rate was
slowing from a September peak of 3,000 per week to about 1,500 per
week in December. The official spoke on condition of anonymity,
citing policy.
The virus typically infects up to 15,000 children per year in
Vietnam, killing 20 to 30 of them. Most people recover quickly
from the illness after little more than a fever and rash.
The official says this year's figures cannot easily be compared to
previous years, because the government has only collected thorough
data on this disease in the past year.