An outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease that has already claimed
the life of a toddler in east China's Shandong Province can be contained if
effective measures are taken, an epidemiologist has said.
Wang Xianjun, who is director of infectious disease control with
the Shandong provincial center for disease control, said that
epidemiological investigations have identified an above average
number of cases of the disease in the city of Linyi this spring,
but they have occurred sporadically.
Hand-foot-mouth disease, also known as coxsackievirus infection,
is a common childhood illness whose symptoms are mouth ulcers,
sores, fever and rashes. It is highly contagious and can be
transmitted through saliva, air or skin.
It can be fatal if complications occur.
As of Friday, doctors had reported 293 cases in the city,
including that of a 2-year-old girl who died of the illness.
Several people have since fully recovered and been discharged
from hospital. The condition of the 106 children still in hospital
is described as stable.
On April 27, a 2-year-old girl was taken to hospital after
developing symptoms of fever and vomiting. Her condition worsened
over the following two days.
Doctors confirmed she had contracted hand-foot-mouth disease,
but were too late to save her.
She died in hospital on the evening of April 29.
After the girl's death, the city's health bureau carried out
epidemiology research across the city, quarantining those infected
by the disease and informing kindergartens and schools.
Local health departments have since launched a public awareness
campaign and isolated those children with the disease.
They are also tightening monitoring of the outbreak and a daily
reporting system has been launched in the city.
China recorded 2,477 cases of hand-food-mouth disease, including
one fatality, in 2005 and 3,030 cases, including two fatalities, in
2006.
(China Daily, Xinhua May 16, 2007)