Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    PINGSHAN District’s center for disease control and prevention (CDC) warned Friday that the peak season for hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) outbreaks usually starts in May and highly recommended that children receive a vaccination to protect them from being infected.

    Chen Weiwen, head of the Pingshan CDC’s department for infectious disease control and prevention, told reporters Friday that Pingshan had already recorded more than 100 HFMD cases this year, up 26.51 percent from a year ago, although most of the cases have been mild.

    The number of HFMD cases in the whole city hasn’t risen compared with a year ago, the city’s CDC said Friday, although it warned that the number of HFMD cases usually increases in May.

    HFMD, a common viral infection among children, which usually occurs during summer and early autumn, is typically acquired through close contact with an infected individual, Chen said. There were 12.8 million recorded cases of the infection in China between 2008 and 2015, with 33,296 associated deaths. Last year, Guangdong recorded 369,052 HFMD cases, and 17 associated deaths.

    The disease, which is often neglected at first, begins with nonspecific symptoms, such as fever and malaise, and is followed by the development of ulcerating sores on the tongue, gums and the inside of the cheeks, Chen said. A rash then appears on the hands and soles of the feet. The infection is spread to others by the virus that is present in pharyngeal secretions, saliva and fluid from the skin blisters, he said.

    A new vaccine against enterovirus 71 (EV71) can effectively prevent HFMD, as well as hospitalizations for severe HFMD and EV71-associated diseases, Chen said. Children aged between 6 months and 71 months can receive the vaccine, and Chen recommends completing the vaccination ahead of the peak season, as it usually takes two to four weeks for the vaccination to take effect. EV71 is the primary cause of HFMD in China and other Asian countries.