By KUNA,
Tokyo : Death toll from a mass intestinal virus infection rose to 22 after another child died in China’s eastern Fuyang City, Anhui Province, state media said Saturday, citing local authorities.
As of Friday, 3,321 children in the country had been sickened by the virus, known as enterovirus 71, or EV71, up from 2,946 registered a day earlier, Xinhua News Agency said.
A total of 978 children remained in hospital, 48 of whom were in critical condition, the news agency said.
The Health Ministry also issued a circular Friday to strengthen the management and surveillance of the disease, ordering hospitals to report the disease to the Health Ministry within 24 hours.
The ministry also told local health departments to report the emergency information timely to the public.
EV71 can cause hand, foot and mouth disease that usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on hands and feet.
It may also cause high fever, meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in a small number of children.