A province in central China reported 437 cases of encephalitis
in July, including 14 deaths, according to a news website on
Thursday.
A baby cries when injected the
encephalitis B vaccine at a hospital in Yuncheng, north China's
Shanxi Province August 14, 2006.
The infections were reported in Henan Province and the outbreak appears to
have passed its peak, according to Sina.com, one of China's largest
news portals.
The brief report did not give details of the cases or say what
caused the outbreak.
Encephalitis is typically a mosquito-borne disease that causes
an inflammation of membranes around the brain. Symptoms include
high fever, seizures and headaches.
Last week, Shaanxi Province reported seven deaths from
the disease, while at least 19 people in the neighboring province
of Shanxi were killed in an outbreak also in
July.
Another 65 people have been infected in Shanxi, state media has
said.
(China Daily August 25, 2006)
