Intestinal virus infects 15 in Hangzhou and Hong Kong

2008年05月04日 浙江在线新闻网站

FIVE children have been infected with hand, foot and mouth disease in Hangzhou while 10 people in Hong Kong have also been stricken with the virus.

As of Wednesday night, five children in two kindergartens had contracted the disease in Jianggan District in the capital city of Zhejiang Province, according to Hangzhou-based newspaper Metro Express.

There is no sign of an outbreak in the city, the report said, quoting Chen Weiqiang, director of the city's Health Bureau.

The children were not in a serious condition and were recovering well, Chen said. Two were receiving intravenous injection and the rest had been separated for treatment, the report said.

Medical authorities should remain on a "state of high alertness" and adopt "resolute" measures to contain the virus, Wang Guoping, the Secretary of the Hangzhou Committee of the Communist Party of China, was quoted as saying.

A task force has been set up to handle a possible outbreak of the intestinal disease and ensure adequate sanitation, particularly in primary schools and kindergartens, the report said, quoting sources with the Health Bureau.

Children less than five years old are most at risk of contracting the disease although adults can also be infected.

Medical authorities said children complaining of fever and anthemia should be examined and separated immediately to prevent the virus from spreading, the report said.

Parents are cautioned against taking their children to crowded places in case of infection. More familiarity with the disease is also encouraged, the report said.

Meanwhile, 10 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, caused by Enterovirus 71, have been confirmed in Hong Kong as of today. A four-year-old girl was diagnosed with the disease after having anthemia while her mother complained of similar sickness four days later. Both have now recovered, according to New Express, a Guangzhou-based newspaper.

After 23 pupils showed symptoms of catching the disease in a school where the infected girl studied, authorities decided to close it for two weeks.

Of the 10 cases confirmed so far – two fewer than last year's figure – seven were brought from China's mainland and Taiwan Province, the report said.

Enterovirus 71 has killed 21 children and infected 2,946 in Fuyang City of Anhui Province as of today.

Of the infected, 849 have been cured. Another 879, including 40 seriously ill, remained in hospital under close observation. The outpatients numbered 1,197.

Enterovirus 71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease. It usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters or ulcers in the mouth and on the hands and feet. Serious infections can lead to death. No vaccines or therapeutic treatments are available.

It may cause high fever, meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in a small number of children. Paralysis is more common in children under two years of age and meningitis is more common in children from two to five years of age, according to previous reports.

来源： Shanghai Daily 作者： Ni Tao 编辑： 侯玮