HFMD… It’s worrying (II)

April 28, 2008

I guess the situation is getting pretty bad. Read in the chinese paper (Lianhe Zaobao) online that HFMD outbreak in China (Anhui) has involved 800 children with 19 deaths.

I began to wonder since HFMD is a benign disease among children, why can it cause so many deaths cases? I went checking on the net searching for the difference between fatal and non-fatal HFMD. I found out that there was a study done during the year 2000 outbreak and they observed that vomiting, leukocytosis, and an absence of mouth ulcers as predictive risk factors for fatal cases of EV-71 HFMD during the Singapore epidemic in 2000.

Anyway, really hope that this epidemic will peak sooner and than come to an end. Meantime, do remember to help the little ones wash their hands frequently and try to avoid crowded areas. Schools are avoidable though.

Posted in Baby Health, My Parenting Journal