# 1953
The epidemic of HFMD (Hand Foot & Mouth Disease) sweeping through China continues to expand, and authorities believe it may not peak until June or July.
As of Monday nearly 12,000 children had reportedly been affected.
For those desiring some background on this disease, I blogged at length on HFMD last Saturday.
The WHO (World Health Organization) is offering support to China in their battle against this outbreak.
These excerpts from a long article carried by Xinhua News.
WHO pledges support for China in viral outbreak
www.chinaview.cn
2008-05-06 15:29:53
BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- World Health Organization (WHO) representative in China Hans Troedsson has expressed appreciation for China's quick response to the outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) and pledged the world body's willingness to support China in its efforts to combat the illness.
During a Monday meeting with Health Minister Chen Zhu, Troedsson said the WHO office in China would continue to actively work with China in coping with the outbreak, provide technical support and share with other countries and regions the experience gained here, the health ministry said on its website on Tuesday.
As of Monday, the number of HFMD cases reported nationwide this year had risen to 11,905 with 26 fatalities, according to a Xinhua count of local official figures.
The worst-hit area, Anhui Province in east China, updated the number of childhood infections to 5,840, including 689 new cases that were recorded on Sunday, according to the provincial health administration.
In Anhui's Fuyang City alone, 22 children have been killed by the epidemic since March 20 out of 4,496 children infected, and 1,314 are still hospitalized.
During the meeting, the minister briefed Troedsson on the epidemic's development in Fuyang and China's measures against the disease.
China had classified HFMD as a C class epidemic that must be reported to the ministry, he said. Previously, local health authorities were not required to report HFMD cases.
<snip>
Meanwhile, release of information about the course of the epidemic would be stepped up to avoid public panic, he said.
The epidemic was first reported on March 20 in Fuyang. Since then, outbreaks have been reported elsewhere in China. So far, all the victims have been children, mostly below 6 years old.
<snip>
Those sickened by EV71 often have serious symptoms. It can also lead to meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in some children.
The ministry asked hospitals for daily reports on the disease and told local health departments to report emergencies promptly and spend more on research into the disease.
