Wash Your Hands! The Latest Health Scare in China and How to Take Precautions

Sunday May 11, 2008

Last week the newspapers were covered with reports of children dying of complications from Enterovirus 71 (EV71), a virus that causes Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease especially among children. HFMD is a very common illness among children under six and we’re coming upon its peak season of June and July. While most of the deaths are localized to one village in Anhui Province in central rural China, cases of deadly EV71 have been found in Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Hunan and Zhejiang Provinces.

Is it time to panic? Should you cancel your business trip for fear of bringing it home to your kids? The answer is no, but you should be fully aware of what’s happening and how to take proper precautions. As of the weekend, the death toll was 34; this is extremely low in a population as large as China’s. And fortunately, the disease is reported under control in the worst-hit Anhui Province village. But the disease is certainly still cause for concern and the Chinese government is taking it quite seriously, instituting mandatory reporting of all cases of HFMD.

What should you do? I attended a clinic last Friday about the outbreak and the physician told us the best precaution is to keep hands clean, as the virus is spread through bodily secretions. So, wash your hands every time you get a chance and obviously, try to avoid travel to the worst-hit areas.