The virus, known as enterovirus 71, or EV71, has not yet been put on the mandatory reporting list of infectious diseases, Qi Xiaoqiu, director of the health ministry's disease control and prevention department, told a press conference here.
The ministry now considered it as an emergent public health incident that needed to be reported, Qi said.
"In accordance with the virus' outbreak in the past few years, we are considering how to further strengthen the management and surveillance of the disease," he said.
An outbreak in Fuyang City in eastern Anhui Province killed 20 children and sickened 1,500 others, the provincial health department said on Tuesday.
Of the sick, 585 have recovered, while 412 are still hospitalized. Of those, 26 are seriously ill.
Hospitals in Fuyang started to admit children with fever, blisters, mouth ulcers and hand and foot rashes in early March. Some were diagnosed with brain, heart and lung damage.
All were aged below six and the majority were under two.
Deng Haihua, director of the ministry's press office, said the ministry had sent two expert teams to Fuyang to help, and progress was being made in researching the virus and its treatment.
He urged the public to ward off intestinal infections by observing environmental, personal and food hygiene, as well as keeping children away from crowds.
EV71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease. It usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on hands and feet.
It can also cause high fever, meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in a small number of children. Infections can lead to high mortality rates in serious cases. No vaccine is available.
Mass intestinal virus infection sickens 1,884, kills 20
BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- An outbreak of a lethal intestinal virus that started in March in east China's Anhui Province had killed 20 children and befallen 1,884 others by Tuesday noon, an official said here on Wednesday.
Yang Weizhong, deputy chief of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said, "No new death cases had occurred over the past five days." Full story
Experts from places out of Anhui Province examine a sick child in Fuyang City, east China's Anhui Province, April 29, 2008. The Health Ministry of China sent Fuyang 35 medical experts from Hunan and Hubei provinces in central China to give better treatment to sick children on April 28. An outbreak of lethal intestinal virus Enterovirus 71 has altogether sickened 1,520 children in Fuyang, claiming 20 lives by the morning of April 29. A total of 585 have recovered and 412 are in hospital. Of those, 26 are seriously ill. (Xinhua Photo)
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Mass intestinal virus infection up to 1,520, kills 20 in east China
HEFEI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- In a bid to stop the virus which has killed 20 spreading to more children, all kindergartens in Fuyang City have begun May Day holidays two days early.
There are about 400,000 children below the age of five in Fuyang, in east China's Anhui Province. Full story
Mass intestinal virus infection kills 19 children
HEFEI, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of 19 children have died and more than 700 others fallen ill in an outbreak of a lethal intestinal virus in Fuyang City, east China's Anhui Province, since March.
"Experts from the Ministry of Health, Anhui Province and Fuyang City confirmed the virus is entervirus 71 or EV 71 based on epidemiological surveys, clinical diagnosis and lab work," said the city's health department. Full Story
Daily reporting system on lethal virus infection installed in east China
HEFEI, April 28 (Xinhua) -- East China's Anhui Province has installed a province-wide daily reporting system to monitor infection of a lethal virus that has killed 19 children in its Fuyang City.
Enterovirus 71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease which usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters of ulcers in the mouth and on the hands and feet. Full story
