EON

Hand Foot And Mouth Virus Persists In Claiming Additional Lives

Beijing, China- There are additional reported deaths coming in to Chinese authorities in Xinhua and Beijing from the outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth virus that is sweeping the Chinese countryside.

The virus has caused nearly 25 thousand children to become ill along the length of the Chinese mainland, and has resulted in 42 deaths so far. All of the patients who have perished from the disease have been children.

The virus is a variation of the enterovirus 71, one of the most common types of the Hand, Foot and Mouth Virus.

After initially trying to quell reports of sickness, a new order demanding all cases of the illness be reported has led to a new rush of reported cases. The Chinese Ministry of Health has issued a nationwide order requiring all cases of the virus be reported.

There is not any known treatment for severe EV-71 virus infections nor is there a vaccine in existence. Most adults have well developed immune systems and are not susceptible to the disease, which is why predominantly the virus strikes children and the young.

Severe cases of the childhood virus can lead to diarrhea, fluid on the brain and paralysis, even death.