Hanoi - Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), the viral illness that has killed 26 people in China this year, has also infected over 3,000 children in Vietnam since the start of the year, killing at least ten, health officials said Wednesday. Most of those infected are children under 10 years old living in the country's southern provinces, near Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Kien Giang and Dong Thap, said Nguyen Huy Nga, head of the Health Ministry's Preventive Medicine Department.
The disease's symptoms include the appearance of small red vesicles in the palms, feet and mouth, as well as light fever, nausea and loss of appetite.
The disease is highly contagious among children, and spreads through the digestive system, according to Dr Truong Huu Khanh of the Ho Chi Minh City Pediatrics Hospital. The fatality rate among those infected is below one per cent.
Up to 20 per cent of the cases in Vietnam were caused by Enterovirus 71, known as EV71, which is also responsible for the almost 16,000 infections and 26 deaths in China this year. The remainder were caused by the Coxsackie A16 virus.
"There is no vaccine against this virus, and the best way to prevent the disease is to ensure hygienic food and drinks and avoid contact with infected people," said Khanh.
Vietnam reported 2,988 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease in 2007 and 2,284 cases in 2006, according to the Health Ministry's statistics.
The EV 71 outbreak in China has led to worries over safety among those planning to attend this August's Olympic Games in Beijing.
But a World Health Organization official said that the spread of the disease was unlikely to influence the Olympics, as only young children were infected.
The virus is transmitted through saliva, blister fluid and faeces, but it is rare among adults, who are generally strong enough to fight it off. The disease is life-threatening in a small number of cases owing to complications such as lung haemorrhage and meningitis.
EV71 is usually quickly diagnosed and treated, and the deaths in Anhui and other areas are believed to be the result of low awareness about the virus.
