From AP via Examiner.com:
China has made it mandatory for health care providers to report all cases of a viral illness that has sickened thousands of young children across the country, as the death toll rose Wednesday to 28. So far there have been 15,799 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease this year, the official Xinhua News Agency said, cropping up in areas ranging from the tropical island province of Hainan in the south to Jilin province in the northeast and Yunnan province in the southwest.
The number and scope of cases in recent years, along with the need for increased surveillance, prompted the Health Ministry to enforce the new reporting rules, spokesman Mao Qun’an said. “This demonstrates our commitment to people’s health,” Mao said at a rare news conference held jointly with the World Health Organization.
Read also: Fuyang Health Department: We Did Not Conceal The Epidemic from Kuaibao, translated by pressinteprester; and EV71 outbreak in China sparks criticisms on the Global Voices blog.
