Virus alert in China
Five years after battling an epidemic of the deadly SARS virus, China's Health Ministry issued a nationwide alert on Saturday following the outbreak of another virus that has already killed 22 children in one city and is showing signs of spreading. The virus in question is a form of foot and mouth disease called Enterovirus 71, or EV-71. More than 3,300 cases were reported by Thursday night, the most recent numbers available. Apart from the 22 deaths among children in Fuyang in Anhui province, 978 people are currently hospitalised with it, according to the Health Ministry.