Hong Kong Center for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health Wednesday confirmed four cases of Enterovirus-71 (EV71) infection involving four children aged between one and six in Hong Kong.

The public are urged to be vigilant against the disease.

The first case involved a three-year-old boy. He developed symptoms of fever, oral lesion and rash over hands and feet on May 10. He was admitted to hospital on May 11 and was discharged Tuesday. Laboratory result of his stool specimen confirmed EV71 infection.

Thirteen other children of the kindergarten cum child care center the boy attended also developed symptoms of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease (HFMD) between April 13 and May 5. They sought treatment from private doctors and none of them required hospitalization.

A CHP spokesman said all the 14 affected children had been advised to stay at home for at least two weeks after all symptoms subsided.

The second case involved a six-year-old boy who presented with oral and foot lesions on May 9. He attended a hospital on May 10 and was later transferred to another hospital for suspected HFMD. The patient was discharged on May 11. Laboratory result of his throat swab confirmed EV71 infection.

The boy stayed in Fujian Province from April 26 to May 9. The kindergarten he attended had no recent report of HFMD.

The third case involved a three-year-old girl who lived with her parents in Dongguan of Guangdong Province. She developed sore throat and rash over hands and feet on May 10. She arrived in Hong Kong on May 12 and was admitted to hospital the same day. The girl was discharged Wednesday. Laboratory result of her throat swab confirmed EV71 infection.

The last case involved a one-year-old boy who lived with his parents in Foshan of Guangdong Province. He developed fever, oral lesion and rash over his hands and feet on May 9 and consulted medical practitioners in the mainland. He traveled to Hong Kong for medical treatment and was admitted to hospital on May 10. He is now in stable condition. His throat swab was found positive for EV71.

A total of 18 EV71 infection cases were reported to CHP so far in Hong Kong in 2008. There were 35, 8, 16 and 12 cases in the years 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)