According to the news provided by the Fuyang city government of Anhui province, since March, 789 children have been infected with enterovirus EV71 in Fuyang. Nineteen people died after all-out rescue failed. Currently, there are still 204 cases being hospitalized or under hospital observation. Under the participation and guidance of the Ministry of Health and the expert groups of Anhui province, the health departments of Fuyang city are comprehensively strengthening all kinds of medical treatment and prevention and control work.
It is reported that in early March this year, several hospitals in Fuyang successively treated patients with fever accompanied by oral, hand, foot and buttock rash, and a few were accompanied by serious damage to brain, heart and lungs. After epidemiological investigation, clinical diagnosis and laboratory detection by experts from the Ministry of Health, Anhui province and Fuyang city, the disease was determined to be enterovirus EV71 infection.
According to experts, enterovirus EV71 infection is mainly spread through close contact with saliva, blister fluid, and fecal contaminated items. Children and adults may be infected, and children under 5 years old are more likely to be infected. Poor environmental hygiene and bad personal hygiene habits are prone to illness, which often causes hand-foot-mouth disease and viral pharyngitis in children. Severe cases may develop pulmonary edema and encephalitis, and most cases are mild and curable. A few patients may develop complications such as myocarditis, aseptic meningitis and pulmonary edema, which can be life-threatening when severe.