JINAN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Two more Chinese infants
died from hand-foot-mouth disease Thursday, bringing the death toll from the
outbreak in Shandong Province this year to 11, the local health authority said
Friday.
The latest victims were a girl surnamed Liu and a boy
surnamed Chen, who died in Heze City. Both of them were a year old, according to
the provincial health administration.
No more information was available.
Heze has registered nine deaths from the disease in
the outbreak and Jining City two this year. The first victim was a 20-month boy
who died in Heze on March 22.
In Shandong, at least 7,632 children were infected by
the disease as of Thursday. Another city in the province has reported two
deaths.
Heze has been the worst-hit area with 3,800 reported
infections as of Thursday, including 185 serious. So far, 2,704 have recovered.
The disease, which is more common in summer and
autumn, is not included in the routine reporting list of infectious diseases in
China.
Hand-foot-mouth disease is a common childhood illness
that mainly affects children under the age of 10. Symptoms include fever, sores
in the mouth and a rash with blisters. It can sometimes be fatal if
complications occur.