Mary Ann Benitez
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Thirteen children have been sickened with severe enteroviral infections this year, a record that follows the pattern seen in the mainland and Cambodia, data shows.
There were eight cases of EV in 2010 and nine last year, the Centre for Health Protection said.
Among the 13 cases, eight are imported, all involving mainland children. Five are local "or not classified," it added.
The imported cases include a five- year-old girl and her two brothers, both seven, who tested positive for enteroviruses - which cause hand, foot mouth disease - but negative for the deadly enterovirus71.
On Tuesday, the Centre for Health Protection announced only that the girl and a 39-day-old baby boy from Shenzhen - admitted to the public Prince of Wales Hospital - were confirmed with severe enterovirus infections.
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"Their clinical diagnoses were meningitis due to EV infection and the three children are now in stable condition," the center said.
The baby boy was infected with the Coxsackie virus, which causes a mild form of hand, foot and mouth disease. The baby had a fever for about 10 days.
EV71 has killed 52 of 59 children during the past three months in Cambodia.
Secretary for Food and Health Ko Wing-man said: "In light of all these outbreaks, including the recent detection of avian influenza H5N1 in Bird Street, I would like to remind the citizens to remain vigilant in terms of food and personal hygiene.
"If we are traveling outside Hong Kong, special precautions must be taken as far as the food that we are going to eat as well as our personal hygiene. People who have returned to Hong Kong with symptoms, particularly fever, should seek medical attention."
So far this year, two severe cases of EV71 infection have been reported out of 39 laboratory-confirmed EV71 cases, also a record high.
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