Hand, foot and mouth infections rise to 1,884 in Chinese city

Health News

Apr 30, 2008, 7:33 GMT

Beijing - The number of infections has risen to at least 1,884 in an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease that has killed 20 children in an eastern Chinese city, the official news agency Xinhua reported Wednesday. However, no new deaths have been reported in the past five days in Fuyang in Anhui province, the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention told the agency. The children, most of whom are under 2, have been diagnosed with enterovirus 71, a severe strain of the highly infectious disease, since the outbreak began in March. The symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease are usually mild and include ulcers and blisters in the mouth, rashes on the hands and feet, and fever, but a small minority of cases become life-threatening, mainly because of neurological complications - such as encephalitis, meningitis and paralysis - as well as lung haemorrhages. The virus - which is transmitted through saliva, blister fluid and faeces - is common among babies and children, but it is rare among adults, who usually have immune systems that are developed and strong enough to fight off the virus.

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