A new virus alert in China

Image via WikipediaWhile the Beijing Olympics draw near, all possible disasters come down on China, now including now a virus that has already killed 20 children, reports Reuters, and is spreading fast. Just like when the SARS virus hit the country, there has been a long delay in reporting the disease. The virus was first discovered in Anhui, but has also spread to neighboring provinces.

The enterovirus 71, or EV71, which can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, began spreading in Anhui province's Fuyang city in early March, Xinhua news agency said, but was only publicly reported on Sunday.

Just like the SARS-virus, it does not have a cure yet and has been spreading very fast, even according to official figures, who mostly underreport those incidents. The Ministry of Health does no effect to hide the potential problem in her own newspaper:

"The current outbreak may be just a beginning," the Ministry of Health's Health News newspaper said. "We cannot exlude the possibility that the virus will spread further."