Description of the situation
21 May 2008 - The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with the WHO Representative Office in China, has released a preliminary report on the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) outbreak due to enterovirus 71 (EV71) in Fuyang City, Anhui Province.
Reporting on the occurrence of HFMD in Anhui province and the rest of the country will now take place on a monthly basis together with other notifiable diseases in China.
As part of the efforts to implement the International Health Regulations, IHR(2005), China will further strengthen the early warning system by immediate notification of clustering of clinically abnormal and severe cases, as well as increasing international collaboration and information exchange.
An English version of the preliminary report can be downloaded from the WHO China Country Office website: