China child virus death toll continues to rise as virus spreads
Pastor Dale Morgan
China child virus death toll continues to rise as virus spreads*
The Associated Press
Friday, May 16, 2008; 4:11 AM
BEIJING -- The death toll rose to 43 from the hand, foot and mouth
disease virus that has sickened tens of thousands of children across
China, a report said Friday.
A 22-month-old girl from eastern Jiangxi province died Thursday in a
local hospital, health officials told the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
As of Wednesday, the hand, foot and mouth disease virus had sickened
more than 24,934 children in seven Chinese provinces plus Beijing,
Xinhua reported.
The number was expected to continue rising after the state Health
Ministry last week ordered health care providers to report cases within
24 hours.
The virus has been yet another major concern for Chinese authorities as
they prepare for the Beijing Olympics in August. Cases have been
reported from Guangdong province in the south to Jilin province in the
northeast, and in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai.
Three people in Jiangxi province remain in critical condition from the
virus, Xinhua reported Friday.
Most cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in China this year have been
blamed on enterovirus 71.
The virus spreads through contact with saliva, feces, nose and throat
mucus or fluid secreted from blisters. There is no vaccine or specific
treatment, but most children with mild forms of the illness recover
quickly after suffering little more than a fever and rash.
The disease is expected to peak in the hot months of June and July.