China virus outbreak kills 20 kids
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23623435-38197,00.html
CHINESE health officials today tried to calm public fears about a
virus that has killed at least 20 children, saying the situation did
not resemble 2003's SARS epidemic and there had been no cover-up.
They said people could take simple hygiene steps to prevent the spread
of enterovirus 71, or EV71, which began spreading in Fuyang in the
eastern province of Anhui in early March but was publicly re****ted
only on Sunday.
"You can't talk about EV71 and SARS in the same breath. SARS was a new
infectious disease, and anyone could be infected. SARS was also very
deadly,'' Yang Weizhong, deputy chief of the Chinese Centre for
Disease Control and Prevention, said.
The delay in re****ting the virus to the public has triggered heated
discussion and criticism in the Chinese media, which said local
government officials should be sacked.
An initial cover-up of the SARS epidemic led to the sacking of
Beijing's mayor and the health minister.
But Mr Yang said the reason for the delay in this case was because
medical teams were trying to work out what the illness was.
"In the initial stages of the probe a lot of effort was expended, to
rule out some serious infectious diseases like SARS, bird flu and
meningitis,'' he said.
Chen Xianyi, head of the Ministry of Health's emergency response
department, said that the epidemic had been re****ted to the central
authorities in time.
"The confirming of the cause of this illness, the raising of the
treatment rate and clear improvement in preventative measures all came
from the hard work of the central government, province, city and
county. So I think it was re****ted in time,'' he said.
By yesterday, the virus had killed 20 children, most of them under the
age of two.
Enteroviruses spread mostly through contact with infected blisters or
faeces and can cause high fever, paralysis and swelling of the brain
or its lining.
There is no vaccine or antiviral agent available to treat or prevent
the virus. Instead, treatment focuses on managing its complications,
which can include meningitis and heart failure, according to the World
Health Organisation.
Mr Yang urged families to wash their hands often, eat well-cooked food
and properly ventilate rooms.
"This is a seasonal disease, but it can also be prevented,'' he said.
----------------------
Ah, yes, China. They also gave us SARS, lead paint in kids' toys and
poisoned food. What next?
|
