Deaths Are Believed Linked To Current Hand, Foot Mouth Virus.Beijing, China (eCanadaNow) - With the additional two deaths reported in China the death toll believed linked to the outbreak of Hand, Foot and mouth disease now stands at 30 children.
The virus which causes this disease is fairly common in childhood, but slow reporting and a security clampdown on negative information made the initial report of the disease slow. It occurred in a rural area where it possibly could have been stopped, but then it spread to a larger area, and eventually to the capital of Beijing.
Overall China is reporting 4,000 cases of the hand, foot and mouth virus bringing their total to nearly 20,000 cases across China this year.
The most recent deaths were in Hainan, an area of tropical weather popular with visitors and tourists.
There are known to be about 104 different patients in the poor, eastern Chinese province of Anhui that still have the virus. 22 of the 30 deaths have been reported from Anhui.
The World Health Organization has said that this is not a new or virulent strain, but a common version of the virus. Questions remain as to why the large number of deaths.
