EON

Hand, Foot And Mouth Virus Results In Yet Another Death In China

Beijing- The new death toll in China for the recent outbreak of the childhood virus has reached 34, with the most recent victim passing away in Anhui.

Most of the victims of the Hand, Foot and Mouth disease have been located in the Eastern Province of Anhui, where over 20 of the 34 victims have died from the child virus.

The World Health Organization says that surprisingly the current outbreak is not any more virulent than in the past, but that proper diagnosis and the suppression of notification to the public by Chinese officials are two reasons that there have been so many deaths during the current outbreak.

The childhood virus, left untreated can lead to viral meningitis, high fever, paralysis and even death in some cases. Most people are able to ward off its effects even without treatment, but for the elderly and the very young, it can be a deadly disease.

Last year there were just over 80 thousand cases reported in China, but only 17 people died. This year there have been 24 thousand people sick, but official and regional news sources have been much slower this year in sharing the outbreak and news of the spread of infection with the general public.

As a result, more people have waited longer before being seen by a doctor, leading to the larger than average fatality rate.