Enterovirus 71, or EV71, causes hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) among children. HFMD is a common and usually mild childhood disease, however, it is associated with neurological disease in a small percentage of cases. Since 1997, there have been a number of outbreaks of EV71 HFMD reported in the Asia-Pacific region. Specifically, outbreaks were reported in Malaysia (1997), Taiwan, China (1998, 2008), Australia (1999) and Singapore (2000), among other areas in the region. There is no specific treatment for enterovirus infections and a vaccine is not currently available. In 2007, a total of 83,344 cases were reported, among which 17 cases were fatal. According to the official statistics in China, by the end of 2008, 488,995 cases of EV71 HFMD were reported among infants and young children in China, since the beginning of 2008, resulting in 126 deaths. According to China CDC,  from March to September of 2009, total 962,362 cases of EV71 HFMD were reported, resulting in 314 deaths.