The epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF) in northeast China's Jilin Province is rapidly spreading from mountainous regions to the plain areas and the city proper, according to the Jilin Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Centre.

The number of EHF cases reported in the first eight months of this year already exceeded last year's total and is expected to peak in October and last until the end of the year, said sources from the centre.

EHF, which can be spread by mice, refers to a number of diseases characterized by an abrupt onset of high fever and chills, headache, cold and cough, and pain in the muscles, joints and abdomen. EHF also results in nausea and vomiting followed by bleeding in the kidney and elsewhere.

Low vaccination rates have contributed to this year's steep increase in cases of the disease, experts said.

For instance, in those regions where the incidence is higher, such as Shuangyang District, only 60,000 people were vaccinated, making up one-fifth of its population.

Moreover, in poverty-stricken areas, many farmers the group most affected by the disease can't afford the vaccination costing 30 yuan (US$3.6).

Though provincial Disease Prevention and Control Centre has said it has prepared enough vaccine for citizens, efforts are being made to increase vaccination rates and protect those most susceptible to the disease.

"The most effective and simple means to prevent people from contracting the disease is to receive the EHF vaccine," said Chen Tinghua, director of the Infection Disease Department of Jilin Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Centre.

Studies show that receiving a vaccine reduces the EHF incidence by 49.29 per cent.

The province reported a total of 1,840 cases of EHF last year, an incidence of 6.9 cases for every 100,000 people the third highest frequency among all provinces in China.

In Changchun, capital of the province, Luyuan and Chaoyang districts have been classified as high EHF incidence areas, while the district of Shuangyang, where the situation is even more serious, has been put under the national-level monitoring, according to Chen.

Statistics show that more men have been affected by EHF than women. People between the ages of 25 to 45 years old make up half of all cases.

(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2005)