The death toll from a viral illness that is sickening children around China has gone up to 34, state media said Friday, as the number of reported infections jumped to nearly 25,000, according to AP. The latest deaths occurred in the hardest-hit central province of Anhui, where 22 children have already died of hand, foot and mouth disease, the official Xinhua News Agency said. As of late Thursday, the number of reported cases of the disease jumped to 24,932, it said. A day earlier, the number of infections was 19,962. Cases have cropped up in areas ranging from Guangdong province in the south to Jilin province in the northeast and major cities like Beijing and Shanghai. Health experts have said they expect the number of reported infections to rise as a result of an order issued this week by the Ministry of Health requiring health care providers to report infections within 24 hours. The disease is expected to peak in the hot months of June and July. Hand, foot and mouth disease spreads through contact with saliva, feces, fluid secreted from blisters or mucus from the nose and throat. There is no vaccine or specific treatment, but most children affected by the disease typically recover quickly without problems after suffering little more than a fever and rash. Most of the cases in China have been blamed on enterovirus 71, a virus that can cause a severe form of the disease.
