Children in Cambodia are at risk of falling prey to a deadly virus which already claimed 60 tender lives. The government of Cambodia in an unprecedented step issued the orders to close all schools until the situation is controlled. The director of SOS Children’s Villages Cambodia informed that the SOS Hermann Gmeiner Schools in Phnom Penh and Battambang are also closed from today. SOS Children’s Villages are not affected so far.
WHO and Cambodian government said that the lab tests confirmed that it is due to the Enterovirus 71 (E-71) which is a virulent strain of hand, foot and mouth disease.
Most of the children affected are under three years of age who experienced fever and respiratory problems that led to rapid shutdown and sometimes neurological symptoms. Similar cases reported from the adjoining part of Thailand. Last year Vietnam was also battling similar outbreaks.