Ensuring that health care staff are aware of HFMD and its potentially severe
manifestations requires disseminating information and providing training for those
medical staff who are most likely to be the primary consult for the disease. In Taiwan
(China), medical education, such as on the symptoms of EV71 and the timing of referral
for severe cases to hospital, has been facilitated by the Digital Infectious Disease
Learning Net, and linked to activities giving physicians continuing education credits.
The medical service response has also been upgraded and guidelines developed for the
treatment of HFMD and severe cases. In mainland China, medical services have been
upgraded through:
• The establishment of a patient triage system.
• The designation of specific hospitals for treatment.
• Clinical monitoring for the early detection and intervention of severe cases.
• The establishment of a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU).
• Reimbursement of medical fees based on the new rural cooperative medical care
regulation