Latest Virus Affecting China

Have you heard about the latest epidemic in China? Yes there’s another virus spreading in that country, and it was called Enterovirus 71.

What is Enterovirus 71? Maybe some of us are still not aware of this virus, including me; I just heard it from my friends talking about it. But I didn’t fully understand what kind of virus it is, so as a mother I got curious and I don’t want to be left behind with this kind of news especially if it’s concerning virus that attacks children.

I have read that Enterovirus causes a severe form of hand, foot and mouth disease with symptoms including fever, mouth sores and rashes with blisters. It is easily spread by sneezing or coughing. The viruses mainly strike children ages 10 and younger. Some cases can lead to fatal swelling of the brain. There is no vaccine or specific treatment, but most children affected by mild forms of the disease typically recover quickly without problems.

However, EV-71 can result in a more serious form of the illness that can lead to paralysis, brain swelling or death. Many of the severe cases in China did not exhibit typical symptoms, and the children eventually died from respiratory problems, which kept Chinese experts puzzled about the cause of the outbreak

Infections also continue to rise in Singapore, which has reported more than 9,000 cases this year. A major enterovirus outbreak hit Taiwan in 1998, infecting up to 300,000 children with hand, foot and mouth disease and killing at least 55, according to WHO.

WHO issued a warning last week predicting that the outbreak will likely continue in China for the next few months because the virus tends to thrive in hot weather. It advised disinfection and frequent hand washing to prevent its spread, along with closing schools and daycare centers in hard-hit areas.

I just hope this virus won’t reach us here in the Philippines and hope that it wont be like a world plague. Maybe the best thing to do is to be always be clean to our surroundings and also to ourselves, and most of all let us all pray for this to GOD that this VIRUS be stopped or exterminated..