The Associated Press has released this news which I am sure all parents will want to know. There is currently an outbreak of the EV-71 in China on May 2008.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a childhood illness found worldwide that spreads through contact with saliva, feces, fluid secreted from blisters or mucus from the nose and throat. Symptoms typically include fever, skin rashes and sores inside the mouth and on fingers and toes.

There is no vaccine or specific treatment, but most children affected by the disease typically recover quickly without problems.

However, EV-71 can result in a more serious form of the illness that can lead to paralysis, brain swelling or death. Many of the severe cases in China did not exhibit typical symptoms, and the children eventually died from respiratory problems, which kept Chinese experts puzzled about the cause of the outbreak, said Hans Troedsson, WHO country representative.

So dear parents, please watch out for the symptoms as our neighbouring country, Singapore too has witnessed an increase in HFMD.

Infections also continue to rise in Singapore, which has reported more than 9,000 cases this year, with EV-71 found in 25 percent of the samples tested. No deaths have been reported in the wealthy city-state, but the government has ordered 11 preschools and child-care centers closed, according to the Health Ministry’s Web site.

WHO issued a warning last week predicting that the outbreak will likely continue in China for the next few months because the virus tends to thrive in hot weather. It advised disinfection and frequent hand washing to prevent its spread, along with closing schools and daycare centers in hard-hit areas.

Full news on AP

I have more information on HFMD over here with resources from CDC and also include a hand food mouth alert.