An epidemic of enterovirus 71 infection in Taiwan

An outbreak of enterovirus 71 infection in Taiwan in 1998 killed 78 people and made over 120,000 people sick. Normally, this virus can cause blisters on the hands, feet and mouth, but is usually not life-threatening. In the Taiwan outbreak, 405 people had severe disease, and most were five years old or younger. Ninety-one percent of the deaths were children five years old or younger. Eighty-three percent of the patients who died had fluid in their lungs or blood in their lungs. Ninety-two percent had been infected with enterovirus 71.