Wang Yuanyuan

FOUR cases of intestinal virus involving children at Xinzhou Kindergarten, Futian District, had been confirmed since April 22, a kindergarten doctor said yesterday.

“The situation in Xinzhou Kindergarten was ... similar to that reported during the same period last year, so parents should not worry and there is no need to suspend classes at the moment,” Dang Jiao from the city’s center for disease control and prevention (CDC) said.

The four children were all under the age of 4 and were being treated in Shenzhen Donghu Hospital. The latest case was reported Monday, said Zhang, the kindergarten doctor.

“Most of the children in the kindergarten live in Xinzhou Garden. Several children in the garden have come down with the virus and may infect other children living in the neighborhood,” Zhang said.

Common symptoms of the virus, confirmed as enterovirus 71 or EV 71, include fever and ulcers on hands, feet and around mouths and most victims suffer only minor illness.

“The incubation period for this virus is about 21 days, during which time it is difficult to detect symptoms. If one child falls ill in a class, we suggest the other children be sent home because they may have already been infected,” Zhang said.

Seventeen cases of intestinal virus have been reported in Shenzhen since April, while 19 children in Fuyang, Anhui Province, have died of the disease and 789 others have fallen ill since March.