Source: Xinhua

04-21-2009 09:34

BEIJING, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Though the incidence and death rates of hand-foot-mouth disease in China is normal compared with overseas regions, the country's Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) warns of long-term outbreaks among the large populations in certain regions.

China warns of longtime regional outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease(File photo)

Zhang Jing, a CDCP official in charge of intestinal infection prevention told Xinhua here Monday that the disease had been "obviously spreading" since mid-March.

Zhang said as the country had been officially monitoring the disease for about a year, they lacked historical figures to judge if the epidemic was worse than previous years.

The disease might continue to spread in the next two months since its usual peak season is between May and July, she added.

As of April 15, 25 patients, among 30,844 cases reported, died from the disease in central China's Henan province. And 19 out of 17,158 cases died in Shandong Province.

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