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| This photo taken on July 5, 2012 shows a Cambodian woman (L) pulling a
child on a gurney at Kantha Bopha children's hospital in Phnom Penh.
Medical experts are scrambling to respond to what the Cambodian health
ministry and World Health Organization (WHO) have labelled an
"undiagnosed syndrome" that has claimed the lives of at least 56 boys
and girls, mostly toddlers, since April. AFP / KHEM SOVANNARA |
On July 18, 2012 the Ministry of Education shuts down all primary schools and kindergartens to avoid an outbreak of the
Enterovirus 71 (EV71).
The Ministry of Health and World Health Organization (WHO) reported earlier this month that about 64, others say 55, children below age 7 died of mysterious disease since April. Later Institute of Pasteur in Phnom Penh found out that the so called 'mysterious' diseases is called Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) and is caused by
Enterovirus 71. Read more about here
Last week, the news about this 'killer disease' was sensationalized by CNN. It is necessary to take precautionary measure but there is no reason to panic; but the media world depicted the situation gruesome/terrible than it actually is. 60 children died within 3 months is still small percentage compared with more than 4 people killed everyday by
road accident in Cambodia. Again this is a lot less in comparison with the 58 people died during the 3-day Khmer new year last year. The number of people killed due to traffic accident in Cambodia is far worse than the so called 'mysterious' disease.
Fear of an outbreak, the Ministry of Education closed down schools yesterday morning.
