HFMD Virus Spreads among Chinese Children

More than 12,000 Chinese children are infected with the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), and the authorities have slapped heavy punishments on ten doctors for allowing 26 children to eventually die. The doctors' response to the cases was deemed too slow.

Authorities have also found that some village doctors have been illegally injecting children with immune globulin, falsely claiming it would cure them, according to Xinhua. Other doctors have been found failing to treat patients properly and have also been punished.

The Chinese Ministry of Health declared a national alert over the weekend and established a task force which coordinates local officials on control efforts. East China's Anhui Province announced that it will reimburse the full medical costs associated with treating the disease for those who are covered by a public health insurance scheme. Typical reimbursements range from 55 to 65 percent, People's Daily reports.

Nearly 1,500 cases have been recorded in China's capital alone, shutting down two kindergartens in Beijing.

"The Chinese government is paying great attention to the virus and related departments are taking effective measures to stop it from spreading," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told the press. He apparently sought to appease concerns over the 2008 Olympics which are scheduled to take place in Beijing.

The outbreak was caused by the enterovirus 71 (EV71). All the children infected are aged below 6, with most of them being under 2, due to their lower immune function. The hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) it causes is in no way linked with foot-and-mouth disease which affects animals, which is caused by another member of the Picornaviridae family.

EV71, which causes hand, food and mouth disease, is a childhood illness found worldwide that spreads with saliva, feces, fluid secreted from blisters or mucus from the nose and throat. Symptoms typically include fever, skin rashes and sores inside the mouth and on fingers and toes.

The illness has no specific treatment, but children usually recover quickly without problems. However, there are cases when the illness can result in a more serious form that can lead to paralysis, brain swelling or death. The outbreak of EV71 comes amid preparations for the Olympic Games, already tarnished by unrest among Tibetans in western China and an international torch relay disrupted by protests.