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China's Ministry of Health has stepped up efforts to tackle a deadly intesti- nal virus that has killed 22 children, all below the age of six, in Anhui Province, the worst-hit area in China.

The ministry dispatched a team to Fuyang City in Anhui to monitor the development of Enterovirus 71, or EV 71, on May 1. EV 71 cases usually peak from March to July. It is very difficult to diagnose in its early stages as it has various symptoms, Li Xinwang, Director of the Contagious Disease Center of Beijing Ditan Hospital, told the official Xinhua news agency.