The Centre for Health Protection has confirmed three cases of Enterovirus-71 infection involving a four-year-old girl and her 31-year-old mother as well as a 16-month-old girl, bringing the year's total to 10.

The centre has advised the Kwun Tong nursery school the four-year-old girl attends to suspend classes two weeks for disinfection as its 23 students developed Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease symptoms. None required hospitalisation.

The four-year-old developed rashes on April 24 and her mother also came down with symptoms four days later.

The 16-month-old Shenzhen girl developed fever and rashes on April 20 and came to Hong Kong for treatment. She was then admitted to United Christian Hospital April 22 and discharged the next day. She returned to the Mainland April 24.

Prevention review

An inter-departmental meeting was held today to review preventive and control measures taken by various parties against the disease.

Speaking after the meeting the centre's Consultant Community Medicine (Communicable Disease) Dr SK Chuang said departments concerned agreed concerted efforts from all sectors of the community are of paramount importance in guarding against the disease.

The meeting also discussed further preventive and control strategies being conducted by different parties, as well as planning for scenarios where childcare centres and schools are advised to suspend lessons due to EV71 outbreaks.

Dr Chuang said examples of such scenarios included occurrence of further cases in an institution attended by a confirmed EV71 case after stepping up control measures, occurrence of an EV71 case who is suffering from severe complications and the institution the child is attending has an associated hand-foot-mouth outbreak.

As an extra precaution a child who has EV71 infection will be advised not to go to school for another two weeks after all symptoms have subsided.