Deadly Child Virus in China Said Not Threat to Olympics
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
BEIJING — A highly infectious virus that has killed 24 children in China is unlikely to be a threat to the Beijing Olympics, although it is too early to tell whether it has peaked, the World Health Organization said yesterday.
The death toll from the virus, which mostly sickens children, rose to 24 yesterday as two more deaths were reported in a new province amid heightened efforts by China’s Health Ministry to contain it.
The outbreak of enterovirus 71 — which causes a severe type of hand, foot, and mouth disease — is another headache for the Communist government as it prepares for the Olympic Games.
WHO China representative Hans Troedsson said the virus normally peaks in June and July, meaning there could still be an increase in infections as the weather warms.
