HEFEI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- The number of cases of hand-foot-mouth disease in Fuyang, a city in the eastern province of Anhui, rose to 3,736 as of early Saturday from 3,321 on Friday, local authorities said.

    So far, 4,529 children have been sickened by the virus, known as enter virus 71, or EV71, in 15 cities in Anhui. The cities with the most cases were Fuyang, Huainan, Bozhou, Bengbu and Hefei, a provincial health department spokesman said.

    Wang Jinshan, secretary of the Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, visited hospitals in Fuyang on Friday and called for a long-term system to prevent outbreaks of major infectious diseases.

    Forty-five medical specialists dispatched by the Health Ministry and the provincial health department have arrived in Fuyang.

    The province has upgraded its public health emergency status from class three to class two, which means the provincial government can quarantine patients and control movements in and out of Fuyang.

    EV71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease that usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet.

    It can also cause high fever, meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in a small number of children.



China steps up efforts on infectious diseases ahead of Olympics

   BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Health (MOH) has urged local health bureaus to step up the prevention and control of infectious diseases ahead of the Olympics.

    The MOH issued a circular here on Saturday that ordered local bureaus to do their best to prevent and control infectious diseases, since mass outbreaks could easily occur at this time of year. Full story

Chinese Health Ministry forecasts increase of hand-foot-mouth disease

    BEIJING, May 3 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Health forecast Saturday that cases of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) would possibly increase in the following months since June and July are the peak seasons for the disease.

    This year, more incidents of HFMD, caused by Enterovirus 71, or EV71, were reported in Singapore and China's Taiwan region compared with the same period last year. In China's mainland, more cases were also reported in Anhui and other provinces, according to the ministry.Full story