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A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Tue 7 Apr 2009
Source: Reuters News [edited]
<http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE5362MP20090407>
33 children in 2 crowded rural provinces of China have died in an
outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease that could claim more
victims as it spreads in summer heat, state media reported on Tuesday
[7 Apr 2009].
The disease, a common childhood illness, is rarely fatal but can
cause fever, mouth sores and blisters. Severe forms of [the illness]
can be deadly if not properly treated.
18 children have died from the disease in central Henan province and
at least 15 in eastern Shandong province this year [2009], the
official Xinhua news agency reported.
Henan, a rural province crowded with poor farmers, is the center of
China's latest outbreak of the disease, which killed 40 children
nationwide last year [2008], spreading alarm among parents. The
deaths in Henan were among nearly 20 000 cases of the disease
confirmed in the province, including 5965 in hospital, as of Monday [6
Apr 2009], the Xinhua News Agency stated.
A provincial official warned that worse may come. "As the weather
warms, cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in Henan may rise
further," a vice governor of Henan, Song Xuantao, told Xinhua. "The
situation facing prevention and treatment is very grim."
In late March 2009, Minquan County in Henan said one child had died of
the disease. Minquan has now confirmed that 8 children have died from
the disease, the Xinhua report said. They were among the 18 dead
reported by Henan.
The report from Shandong said 11 500 children had been diagnosed with
the disease and 7100 had already recovered. Earlier this year [2009],
a 17-month-old boy died of the disease in eastern Anhui province.
[Byline: Chris Buckley]
--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[The hand, foot & mouth disease epidemic in China continues to
escalate, from 19 deaths reported on 1 Apr 2009 to the 33 deaths
reported on 7 Apr 2009. The epidemic remains centered on the provinces
of Henan and Shandong, in contrast to the preceding year [2008], when
Anhui was the most affected province. It seems likely that the final
death toll, currently at 33, may exceed the 40 deaths recorded in
2008, since the epidemic is predicted to peak in mid-summer.
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