HFMD infections balloon to 12,164 and now in Beijing

• Xinhua says that a total of 12,164 Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD or 手足口病) cases have been reported so far this year. 26 fatalities have been recorded. Outbreaks have been recorded in twelve provinces and municipalities: Anhui, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Henan, Hebei, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangxi, Beijing and Chongqing.
• Danwei cites another Xinhua report that all 18 districts of Beijing have reported outbreaks of the disease, with 1,482 infections recorded. Two kindergartens in the capital have already been suspended.
• Ten doctors and health officials have apparently been punished for mishandling the disease, says AFP citing a Xinhua report. In Anhui, one village doctor by the name of Wang Dongjun has been fined 4,080 yuan for injecting 17 children with immune globulin, charging 80 yuan for each injection and falsely claiming it would cure them.
• Yet another Xinhua report says World Health Organization's (WHO) China representative Hans Troedsson has praised China for its "quick response to the outbreak". However, WHO has also warned that the virus may be yet to peak.
• While we'd like to think Chinese health officials have come along way since the days of SARS, Reuters says a few children died from HFMD as early as March and a delay in the outbreak has triggered criticism in the media. The WSJ cites a Hong Kong microbiology expert who says HFMD outbreaks are to be expected every year and are not as lethal as SARS or bird flu. Nevertheless, the increased scrutiny of Chinese health officials is to be welcomed.

Previously on Shanghaiist
HFMD in at least six provinces and on the rise

Photo from Aileen Koh: Be on the lookout for these reddish spots on the hands and feet of your child.