«According to available information, a characteristic feature of the viral infection is the selectivity of those infected, namely children aged 1 to 6 years. In this regard, the Ukrainian Embassy recommends that Ukrainian citizens with children of this age temporarily refrain from traveling to China,» the press service of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported on Tuesday.
According to the Ukrainian Embassy in China, the number of patients with EV-71 (intestinal infection) currently exceeds 25,000 people in 28 centrally-administered cities, provinces, autonomous regions, and special districts. As Interfax-Ukraine reports, the total number of deaths is 33. In the provinces: Anhui - 22 people, Guangdong - 6, Zhejiang - 1, and in Hunan and Gansu - 2 people each.
No information about the presence of infected Ukrainian citizens has been received by the embassy. The matter is under the control of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
According to RIA Novosti, the first case of the disease was registered on April 20 in China's eastern Anhui province. The disease then rapidly spread to almost all regions of the PRC.
The Chinese Ministry of Health stated that the spread of the infection has been brought under control and the number of cases is beginning to decline. At the same time, doctors had previously said that the peak of the epidemic would occur in June-July, as this season creates the most favorable conditions for the spread of the virus.
Enteroviruses can cause a range of severe diseases in humans. The causative agent enters the body through the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and upper respiratory tract. In many cases, the disease is accompanied by fever, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. However, when entering the blood, the virus can affect various organs, causing serious and sometimes fatal diseases. Children are most susceptible to enterovirus infections.