OUTBREAK: A sick child is carried in a childrens hospital in Beijing in May, 2008. Tangshan City has reported a further spread of the disease, with hospital wards filled to capacity, according to some staff members. (Peter Parks/AFP/Getty Images)
The Tangshan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital (TMCHCH) is reported to be fully occupied, and has had several fatal cases, according to reports.
The TMCHCH Pediatrics Department director confirmed to New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) that the HFMD has indeed been spreading in Tangshan. Because TMCHCH is a pediatric hospital, parents in the region all send their children there.
“In Tangshan, our hospital has many patients because they prefer to come here," said the director. "Other hospitals may have a lot of patients too, but we have more patients with serious illnesses.
HFMD - an infectious disease caused by different enteroviruses - affects mostly infants and babies; children and adults carry the virus but do not become ill when infected.
The current outbreak has been linked to an enterovirus strain known as type 71 (EV71), which can cause a severe form of the disease characterized by high fever, paralysis and meningitis. There is no vaccine or antiviral agent available to treat or prevent EV71. Enteroviruses spread mostly through contact with infected blisters, or feces.
Full Capacity
Because the eruption of the disease appears comprehensive, TMCHCH has been unable to take in everyone, redirecting patients to other hospitals. Dr. Wang of the Pediatrics Dept. told an NTDTV reporter that the department had arranged a special area in the hospital for HFMD patients, which had reached full capacity.
“There are many inpatient child cases, and a special care area for HFMD has been arranged by the hospital,” said Dr. Wang. “There are many other hospitals in the province: the Railroad Hospital, Coal Miners Hospital, Tailian Hospital. They all have HFMD patients.”
When asked about the death cases, several hospital staff members admitted that there had been many deaths, but did not know the count.
“There is no need to ask, we are not sure,” said Dr. Wang.
One hospital administrator added: “This disease has developed rapidly, there have been deaths in every hospital. Why are you asking so many questions?”
Emerging Epidemic?
HFMD erupted this past May in Anhui Fuyang, a prefecture-level municipality in northwestern Anhui Province. Local government officials had attempted to deflect rumors of an outbreak on April 27. Only four days later, the government had to admit the seriousness of the epidemic when several thousand cases were reported, including 22 fatalities.
On May 2, China’s Health Department announced the HFMD viral group as a Class C infectious disease. Currently, the HFMD outbreak has spread to many provinces and cities. On July 24, Jilin Provincial Health Department had reported 4,197 infected cases, and three deaths.
All kindergartens further north in Jilin Province are closed for three weeks.