[Editor’s Note: Last week we provided the full text of a GAR update: Undiagnosed illness in Cambodia – update 6 July 2012  http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_07_06a/en/index.html
The following announcement concludes the joint investigation undertaken:

Severe complications of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by EV-71 in Cambodia – conclusion of the joint investigation
Extract from announcement
13 July 2012 – The investigation into the illnesses and deaths in Cambodia, which mainly affected very young children, concluded that a severe form of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) was the cause in the majority of cases reported to the Ministry of Health.
Samples from a total of 31 patients were obtained and tested for a number of pathogens by Institut Pasteur du Cambodge. Most of these samples tested positive for enterovirus 71 (EV-71) which causes HFMD. A small proportion of samples also tested positive for other pathogens including Haemophilus Influenzae type B and Streptococcus suis. It was not possible to test all the patients as some of them died before appropriate samples could be taken.

The investigation included:
– a thorough review of the hospital records of the patients from Kantha Bhopa hospital as well as from other hospitals;
– laboratory tests;
– active follow-up with the affected families by the local Rapid Response Teams (RRT); and
– evaluation of the data from the national surveillance system…
http://www.who.int/csr/don/2012_07_13/en/index.html