Xinhua published a report yesterday saying that all 18 districts of Beijing have reported outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease, caused by the EV71 virus intestinal virus.
The first cases of the disease were reported in Fuyang, Anhui Province (see Danwei report of April 28).
Yesterday’s Xinhua report says that a total of 1,482 infections have been reported in Beijing. 818 of them were found in kindergartens, 583 at home. All people infected are younger than 5.
The XInhua report says that Youan Hospital and several other clinics have already put in place special facilities to treat infections.
Despite foreign cable news reports screaming about a ‘deadly’ virus, the virus is treatable and not that deadly. On the other hand, Xinhua and CCTV have not shied away from reporting about the disease, a welcome change from the days of SARS in 2003, when a disease outbreak was treated as something to be ashamed of and covered up.
UPDATE: This from a web page from the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Enterovirus 71 Outbreaks, Taiwan: Occurrence and Recognition
Enterovirus 71 (EV71) was first isolated in California in 1969. Since then, EV71 has been isolated in many parts of the world.
Two patterns of EV71 outbreaks have been observed: small outbreaks associated with occasional patient death and severe outbreaks associated with a high case-fatality rate. The latter pattern occurred in Bulgaria in 1975 with 44 deaths (2) and Hungary in 1978 with 45 deaths (3). During the past 5 years severe outbreaks have occurred: in Malaysia in 1997 with 30 deaths and in Taiwan with 78 deaths in 1998, 25 deaths in 2000, and 26 deaths in 2001.
So perhaps use of the word “deadly” is accurate. But can it be treated? This is from The China Daily:
Nationwide alert issued on disease
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), characterized by fever, sores in the mouth and rashes on hands and feet, is not a new infection and is common among infants and children, experts say. It can be triggered by various viruses and usually does not lead to death.
Of the fatal cases reported this year, severe complications due to EV71 infection including meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis were the cause of death.
“While not all the children infected with the virus develop the lethal complications, prevention and early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for recovery” said Liu Xiaolin, a leading doctor at Fuyang No 2 People’s Hospital, which has been designated for treatment of the disease.
The Ministry of Health said on its website that “HFMD is highly preventable and can be treated”.
However, there is no effective vaccine available worldwide to kill the EV71 and “current medical intervention targets the complications from the viral infection”, Liu noted.
See also Wikipedia: Enterovirus.