HFMD became a notifiable disease in China on 2 May. Because of this
change in reporting policy and the increased awareness of the general
public about the disease, it is expected there will be an increase in
the number of reported cases in the next weeks and months from Anhui
province and the rest of China.
The Government of China has assured WHO of its strong technical and
political commitment to control the disease in Anhui and other
provinces. In addition to enhanced surveillance, as there is no
specific treatment for enterovirus infections and a vaccine is not
currently available, a nation-wide health campaign is ongoing,
stressing the need for personal hygiene, especially hand washing.
Additional resources have also been provided to paediatric health care
providers by the Ministry of Health.
HFMD is a common and usually mild childhood disease. EV71 is a frequent
cause of HFMD epidemics associated with neurological disease in a small
proportion of cases. There have been a number of outbreaks of EV71 HFMD
in the Asia-Pacific region since 1997. Outbreaks have been reported in
Malaysia (1997), Taiwan , China (1998), Australia (1999) and Singapore
(2000) among other areas in the region.
WHO advises against the application of any travel or trade restrictions
relating to China while reinforcing the need for prevention through
enhanced personal hygiene.