More Encephalitis Deaths In China

Another 14 people have succumbed to an outbreak of mosquito-borne encephalitis B in China, the Beijing News said on Friday. These deaths are in addition to the 26 people already killed by the disease.

In central Henan province around 437 people have been infected with the disease and 40 of them have died so far. These infections are more than what were detected in the first six months of 2006. But the newspaper did not explain why there was a sudden increase in the number of infections.

Earlier in August Chinese media reported 19 deaths in the northern province of Shanxi and 7 deaths in neighboring Shaanxi. More than 200 people were infected in both provinces.