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Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news...113_44880.html
05-13-2009 22:58
Infant Dies of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
The first case of death has been reported here of complications from a viral infection that caused dozens of infants to die in China recently.
A 12-month-old infant died as a result of contracting hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, earlier this month, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Wednesday.
The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, purportedly showed typical blister symptoms late last month and fell into a coma four days later before losing her life May 5, the office said.
The virus that killed the infant had a 98-percent similarity to enterovirus 71, which caused the fatalities in China, the health authorities said, raising concern that the nation's quarantine system is vulnerable to diseases coming from neighboring countries.
Also, another 20-month-old infant in Seoul suffered left leg paralysis due to the virus.
Suspicions of mismanagement by the health authorities have arisen because it took more than two weeks until an official announcement was made.
However, a KCDC official said there have been ``few apparent signs of HFMD prevalence this summer,'' according to Yonhap News Agency.
Currently, there is no particular management or vaccines for HFMD, which is not a designated infectious disease here.
In South Korea, the illness prevailed among young children in the early 2000s, but no deaths were reported as it was caused by the coxsackie A-16 virus, a much more common and milder virus than enterovirus 71, which can cause potentially fatal encephalitis.
HFMD, characterized by fever and typically a rash on the palms, feet, or in the mouth of the patient, can be deadly if this complication occurs. It is a common illness that mainly affects children under the age of 10, with May to July being the peak period for the disease.
An outbreak killed 79 children in mainland China between January and April this year, according to China's Ministry of Health.
hckim@koreatimes.co.kr
05-13-2009 22:58
Infant Dies of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
By Kim Hyun-cheol
Staff Reporter
The first case of death has been reported here of complications from a viral infection that caused dozens of infants to die in China recently.
A 12-month-old infant died as a result of contracting hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, earlier this month, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Wednesday.
The victim, whose identity has not been disclosed, purportedly showed typical blister symptoms late last month and fell into a coma four days later before losing her life May 5, the office said.
The virus that killed the infant had a 98-percent similarity to enterovirus 71, which caused the fatalities in China, the health authorities said, raising concern that the nation's quarantine system is vulnerable to diseases coming from neighboring countries.
Also, another 20-month-old infant in Seoul suffered left leg paralysis due to the virus.
Suspicions of mismanagement by the health authorities have arisen because it took more than two weeks until an official announcement was made.
However, a KCDC official said there have been ``few apparent signs of HFMD prevalence this summer,'' according to Yonhap News Agency.
Currently, there is no particular management or vaccines for HFMD, which is not a designated infectious disease here.
In South Korea, the illness prevailed among young children in the early 2000s, but no deaths were reported as it was caused by the coxsackie A-16 virus, a much more common and milder virus than enterovirus 71, which can cause potentially fatal encephalitis.
HFMD, characterized by fever and typically a rash on the palms, feet, or in the mouth of the patient, can be deadly if this complication occurs. It is a common illness that mainly affects children under the age of 10, with May to July being the peak period for the disease.
An outbreak killed 79 children in mainland China between January and April this year, according to China's Ministry of Health.
hckim@koreatimes.co.kr
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