World Health Organization (WHO) representative in China Hans Troedsson has expressed appreciation for China's quick response to the outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) and pledged the world body's willingness to support China in its efforts to combat the illness.

During a Monday meeting with Health Minister Chen Zhu, Troedsson said the WHO office in China would continue to actively work with China in coping with the outbreak, provide technical support and share with other countries and regions the experience gained here, the health ministry said on its website on Tuesday.

As of Monday, the number of HFMD cases reported nationwide this year had risen to 11,905 with 26 fatalities, according to a Xinhua count of local official figures.

The worst-hit area, Anhui Province in east China, updated the number of childhood infections to 5,840, including 689 new cases that were recorded on Sunday, according to the provincial health administration.

In Anhui's Fuyang City alone, 22 children have been killed by the epidemic since March 20 out of 4,496 children infected, and 1,314 are still hospitalized.

During the meeting, the minister briefed Troedsson on the epidemic's development in Fuyang and China's measures against the disease.

China had classified HFMD as a C class epidemic that must be reported to the ministry, he said. Previously, local health authorities were not required to report HFMD cases.

The ministry had also upgraded the emergency response scheme of the Anhui public health incident from grade III to grade II, he said.

Meanwhile, expert teams have been sent to Fuyang to help with diagnosis and treatment. Kindergartens in the county were closed to prevent a further spread of the disease and a public awareness campaign was launched.

Chen said patients were being treated and prevention and control measures were being implemented in an orderly, effective manner.

He said that he was heading up a health ministry leading group to combat the disease, which would soon hold a national tele-conference to urge stepped-up nationwide monitoring, reporting, prevention and treatment of the disease.

Meanwhile, release of information about the course of the epidemic would be stepped up to avoid public panic, he said.

The epidemic was first reported on March 20 in Fuyang. Since then, outbreaks have been reported elsewhere in China. So far, all the victims have been children, mostly below 6 years old.

The southern province of Guangdong reported 1,692 cases on Monday, an increase of 767 from Sunday. Three boys have died so far in the outbreak.

Zhejiang Province in east China said on Monday that 1,198 children have been infected this year, and that a 5-year-old boy died on April 6.

In southwestern Chongqing Municipality, 42 sporadic cases have been detected since Thursday.

Beijing recorded at least 1,482 cases as of Monday, of which 818 were reported in kindergartens. The capital's neighboring Hebei Province reported 206 infections.

Cases have also been reported in the provinces of Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Jiangxi and Henan.

Tang Xiaoping, an epidemic expert and deputy head of the health bureau of Guangzhou, said the drastic rise in cases reflected the order by the Ministry of Health on Friday, which classified HFMD as a C class epidemic that must be reported to the ministry.

According to the Guidelines Regarding Prevention and Control of HFMD published on the Ministry of Health website, HFMD can be caused by a host of intestinal viruses, but EV71 and the Coxsackievirus (Cox A 16) were the most common.

HFMD usually starts with a slight fever, followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet.

Those sickened by EV71 often have serious symptoms. It can also lead to meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in some children.

The ministry asked hospitals for daily reports on the disease and told local health departments to report emergencies promptly and spend more on research into the disease.

(Xinhua News Agency May 6, 2008)