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Hospitals warn of rise in HFMD cases
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CHILDREN’S hospitals across the city are receiving double the usual cases of hand, foot and mouth disease during its annual peak season although experts said yesterday the outbreak isn’t as serious as last year.
HFMD reaches its peak in April, May and June and children under 5 years old are most at risk, doctors said.
“We received 190 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in March and the number rose to 480 last month,” said Zhang Ying from Shanghai Children’s Medical Center. “There’s already been more than 500 this month.”
Dr Yu Hui, director of infectious diseases at the Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, said the hospital received about 100 cases every day since early April. During non-peak periods the hospital usually has less than 50 patients each day.”
She said the epidemic was not as serious as last year.
Serious HFMD epidemics occur in China every two years, according to doctors.
“We received 200 to 300 patients every day last year in May and had 18 to 20 children hospitalized each day with serious infections,” Yu said. “So far only six children with the disease have required hospitalization this year.”
The disease is spread through direct contact with fluid from a patient’s blisters, or droplets from the nose and throat. Typical symptoms are a rash on the hands or feet and a fever. Good personal hygiene reduces the chance of getting the disease.
The city reported 3,966 cases of HFMD last month and 1,479 in March. No deaths were reported so far this year. There were 65,018 cases last year with three deaths, according to the Shanghai Health and Family Planning Commission.
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