On Sun, 04 May 2008 07:47:23 -0700, Sir John Howard wrote:
> 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?
Lookit what they give each other, thanks to their dedication to and
impressive investments in public hygiene and environmental safety . . . .
--
Ofitseroi vse do odnogo merzavtsoi.
< _Odin Den' Ivana Denisovicha_
|
