Killer Virus Outbreak In Korat Sparks Alerts

[george]

Killer virus outbreak sparks alerts

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- Health authorities are on alert for more outbreaks of a virus that has claimed four lives in Nakhon Ratchasima.

The Public Health Ministry has asked provincial officials to watch for patients showing symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease, which is also known as coxsackie enterovirus 71.

Four children died from a fast-acting strain of disease last week, the ministry said.

They were diagnosed with what may be a new strain of the disease.

Two other children in the same district who exhibited symptoms of the disease, including a high fever, mouth sores, rashes and blisters are now in hospital under observation.

"The good news is that no new cases have been reported," Kamnuan Ungchusak, director of the ministry's epidemiology bureau said.

Doctors were unable to save the four children because their condition deteriorated rapidly, resulting in severe brain damage, he said.

The virus strain resembled one that claimed lives in Malaysia in 1997 and Taiwan in 1998.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is not related to foot-and-mouth disease. The former affects infants and children and is contagious.

The Nation, Deutsche Presse-Agentur 2006-07-11

[bina]

hand foot and mouth disease as opposed to HOOF AND MOUTH disease and /or ORF as sheep etc get.......

[Scott]

What are the symptoms and is their a cure for it?

Are the four children who died just extremely unlucky or is this a particularly lethal disease?

[dutch]

Be careful George.

The messenger of these kind of messages can be killed(see topic on the Isaan link)

Some posters should apologize to Derklev.