手足口病是由肠道病毒引起的全球性传染病。1957年,新西兰最先报告手足口病病例,继后欧州、美洲、亚洲相继发生大流行。我国自1981年发现首例手足口病病例,此后每年都有人患病。2008年,我国全年累计报告手足口病48万多例,其中死亡病例占0.026%。2008年冬至2009年4月7日,全国共报告手足口病11.5万例,其中重症773例,死亡50例,由肠道病毒71型(EV71)引起的占75%。近日,笔者来到微生物界,走进肠道病毒家族,就手足口病有关问题“采访”了EV71: Hand, foot and mouth disease is a global infectious disease caused by enteroviruses. In 1957, New Zealand first reported cases of HFMD, followed by successive pandemics in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Since 1981, China found the first case of hand, foot and mouth disease, and every year thereafter, people are sick. In 2008, there were more than 480,000 HFMD cases reported in China, of which 0.026% were fatal cases. From winter 2008 to April 7, 2009, a total of 115,000 hand-foot-mouth disease cases were reported nationwide, including 773 severe cases and 50 deaths, accounting for 75% of those caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71). Recently, the author came to the microbiological community, enter the family of enterovirus, hand, foot and mouth disease related issues “interview ” EV71: