BEIJING — A highly infectious virus that has killed 24 children in China is unlikely to be a threat to the Beijing Olympics, although it is too early to tell whether it has peaked, the World Health Organization said Sunday.
The death toll from the virus, which mostly sickens children, rose to 24 Sunday as two more deaths were reported in a new province amid heightened efforts by China’s Health Ministry to contain it.
The outbreak of enterovirus 71, which causes a severe type of hand, foot and mouth disease, is another headache for the communist government as it prepares for the Olympic Games, already tarnished by unrest among Tibetans in western China and an international torch relay disrupted by protests.
“I don’t see it at all as a threat to the Olympics or any upcoming events. This is a disease mainly affecting young children,” WHO China representative Hans Troedsson told a news conference.
Troedsson said the virus normally peaks in June and July, meaning there could still be an increase in infections as the weather warms. The disease thrives in hot climates, and Asia has seen increased occurrences, including in Singapore, Vietnam and Taiwan, he said.
China’s Health Ministry issued a nationwide alert over the weekend after the virus, also known as EV-71, infected more than 4,500 children in central Anhui province resulting in 22 deaths.
The two most recent reported deaths occurred about 1,000 miles to the south in Guangdong province.
The first deaths in Anhui occurred in late March, but the public were not told until April 15, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
Troedsson blamed the delay on difficulties diagnosing the causes of the deaths, as they did not show the normal symptoms. WHO was told within 24 hours of the correct diagnosis, he said.
Suspicion continues to surround the Chinese government’s handling of disease outbreaks following allegations of a cover-up during the 2003 emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, which originated in southern China and eventually killed nearly 800 people worldwide.
As of early Saturday, 3,736 cases of EV-71 were reported in Fuyang’s rural outskirts, health officials said. Some 1,115 people remained hospitalized, 42 in serious or critical condition, said the health department of Anhui province.
Hand, foot and mouth viruses cause fever, mouth sores and rashes with blisters and are easily spread by sneezing or coughing. The viruses mainly strike children aged 10 and younger. Some cases can lead to fatal brain swelling.
There is no vaccine or specific treatment, but most children affected by the disease typically recover quickly without problems.
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, Troedsson said.
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