CHINA> Regional
HFMD death toll rises to 15 in E China city
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-12 21:42

JINAN -- One more child has died of hand-foot-mouth disease in Heze, east China's Shandong Province, bringing the death toll in the city to 15.

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The death occurred Saturday in Yuncheng County, the Shandong Provincial Health Department announced Sunday, without giving details of the child.

Heze had reported 5,770 cases of the contagious disease as of Saturday, among which 341 were severe and 4,549 had recovered.

The local health authorities have ordered to timely report any outbreaks of the disease and beef up disinfection at hospitals and baby care centers.

The disease had killed 50 children nationwide in the year to April 7, a Health Ministry official said Friday, adding that a total 115,000 cases had been reported.

The official said the disease was mainly reported in rural areas and nearly 80 percent of the total were in 10 provinces and autonomous regions including Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi and Zhejiang.

Hand-foot-mouth disease is a common childhood illness that mainly affects children under the age of 10. Symptoms include fever, sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters. It can sometimes be fatal if complications occur.