Fantastic.
Hand-foot-mouth disease has been reported in China. There are at least 11,000 cases and almost 30 kids have died so far. The enterovirus 71, or EV-71 is the cause and there is no known cure. It is a relative of the hoof and mouth disease virus, but not the same, as has been widely misreported. Regardless, it is a deadly disease and the Chinese have not been forthright about it. When the virus first broke out is not known and only recently has the most affected province been placed under travel restrictions. Adults have a strong resistance to the virus, but children can get it easily and have a much harder time fighting it. One fourth of the kids infected have been hospitalized. There have been other outbreaks over the past decade in other parts of Asia, but with China's new found wealth and ability to travel this one has a potential to break out of the region.
It's just my opinion, but there is no denying that China's rural woes are never going to be fully known by the outside world. China has become a bizarre blend of third and first world conditions. The new middle class has much of its roots in the countryside and they now have the means to travel and visit relatives in areas where EV-71 is bound to bloom. They also have the means to travel the world and it is only a matter of time before a disease like this gets on a plane and does the 12 Monkeys thing. Will it destroy the planet? Nope, but it does present a new set of challenges for a world faced with a mobile and affluent China. Lots of movies have been made about this scenario and it is part of our apocalyptic imagination. The part about this outbreak in China that chills me is the fact the the Chinese will go to most any lengths to keep controversy away from the world media.
I studied Chinese history at length for many years and one thing that has always remained the same is China's pride and consequent reluctance to admit fault or failure. That hubris led to their decline as Europe used their inventions against them. Who else but a barbarian would use a celebratory substance like gun powder to revolutionize killing? China's self perceived superiority could prove disastrous for us all, not just itself, this time around. Their contribution to global warming is just the beginning. They will not ever disclose what actually happens within their borders and that means that once it migrates beyond them we may not know what the hell to do. And that is just fantastic. Ciao.
