Sentinel physicians
reported 121,842cases of hand–foot–mouth disease (HFMD) between 10 May
and 26 December 1998 in Taiwan, with a peak at the beginning of June.
This contrasts with the same period in 1999 in which 63,278 cases were
reported, with a smaller peak appearing at the end of May. In 1998,
there were 405 hospitalizations, mostly 5–years–old or younger, and
78 (19.25%) of them died. In contrast, as of 30 December 1999, 33 hospitalizations
were recorded with 21 (63%) of them younger than 6 months, and 6 of
them died.
