Virus kills 260 children and sickens thousands

HAND, foot and mouth disease, a virus that usually peaks during the hottest months, has already killed 260 children in China this year and sickened hundreds of thousands more, the government said yesterday.

Every spring and summer China sees deadly outbreaks of the disease, which typically infects infants and children, particularly in rural areas where hygiene is poor. Most cases are mild, with children recovering quickly after suffering little more than a fever and rash.

But the disease has struck earlier than normal this year, and by 4 May the number of deaths reported were 143 per cent higher than the same period last year, said Xiao Donglou, the health ministry's deputy director of disease control and prevention. Hand, foot and mouth disease is unrelated to the foot and mouth disease that affects livestock.

Nearly 430,000 children have been sickened by the disease so far this year, while severe cases have jumped by two-thirds to 5,454, the report cited Mr Xiao as saying.

The sharp jump could be because of better monitoring and reporting by local health authorities and increased public awareness about the disease, said Liu Min, an epidemiology professor at Peking University's school of public health.

There is no vaccine or specific treatment for the virus. Last month, Chinese vice-premier Li Keqiang called for increased research into vaccines and drugs for the disease.