Intestinal Virus Kills 19 Chinese Children

A lethal intestinal virus outbreak has killed 19 children and made more than 700 ill since March in China’s eastern Anhui province.

Health ministry officials in Fuyang city say clinical and laboratory tests have confirmed the virus is the entervirus 71 or EV 71, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The affected children were brought to hospitals with fever, blisters in the mouth, or rashes on hands and feet, the report said. Some of the patients had suffered brain, heart and lung damage.

All the affected children were below age 6, with a majority of them under age 2.

By Saturday, there were 789 affected children, of whom 19 had died, the report said. A total of 204 children remained hospitalized for further observation, with four of them reported in critical condition.

The cause of the infection had not been determined. An expert group has been formed in Fuyang to control and stop the spread of the virus, the report said.

Health authorities said the virus can cause high fever, meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in a small number of children.