Hundreds more diagnosed with EV71 virus in east China city
Pastor Dale Morgan
Hundreds more diagnosed with EV71 Virus in east China city*
2008-05-03 19:51:58
HEFEI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of cases of hand-foot-mouth
disease in Fuyang, a city in the eastern province of Anhui, rose to
3,736 as of early Saturday from 3,321 on Friday, local authorities said.
So far, 4,529 children have been sickened by the virus, known as
enter virus 71, or EV71, in 15 cities in Anhui. The cities with the most
cases were Fuyang, Huainan, Bozhou, Bengbu and Hefei, a provincial
health department spokesman said.
Wang Jinshan, secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist
Party of China, visited hospitals in Fuyang on Friday and called for a
long-term system to prevent outbreaks of major infectious diseases.
Forty-five medical specialists dispatched by the Health Ministry and
the provincial health department have arrived in Fuyang.
The province has upgraded its public health emergency status from
class three to class two, which means the provincial government can
quarantine patients and control movements in and out of Fuyang.
EV71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease that usually starts with
a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes
on the hands and feet.
It can also cause high fever, meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary
edema and paralysis in a small number of children.