Cases of a virus that has killed 24 young children and infected more than 5,000 may continue to rise despite efforts to contain it, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned yesterday.Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), which causes a severe strain of hand, foot and mouth disease, normally peaks in June and July. Experts fear that infections could increase as the weather becomes warmer.
With hundreds more cases emerging every day, China's health ministry has stepped up efforts to contain its spread, closing nurseries at the centre of the outbreak in Fuyang, eastern Anhui province, where 22 of the deaths occurred. State television showed workers spraying disinfectant around houses in rural areas.