From January 1 to May 9, 2008, 61,459 HFMD cases and 36 deaths were reported through the disease reporting system in Mainland China. The number of reported cases increased sharply after the disease became notifiable on May 2, and with cases being reported from nearly all provinces. The 5 provinces with the highest number of reported cases are Guangdong (11,374), Anhui (9,235), Zhejiang (6,134), Shandong (4,566) and Henan (3,230). Because of the change in reporting policy and increased awareness of the general public about the disease, it is expected that there will be an increase in the.
