(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-11-30 10:48

BANGKOK -- The public health office of Thailand's northern province of Uttaridit on Thursday ordered the closure of 22 nurseries following an outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease.

Khachornsak Imtem, chief public health officer of Lablae district, said the nurseries will be closed from Thursday to December 13.

He was quoted by local news network The Nation as saying that a total of 17 cases had been detected in 10 private and public nurseries this week and seven more children were under watch to see if they have contracted the disease.

A total of 106 cases of the disease had been detected in the province this year.

Symptoms of the disease include high fever and sudden loss of strength. It is an infection that is usually caused by a virus called the coxsackie A virus. Some cases are caused by coxsackie B virus and enterovirus 71 and usually affects children under 10 years of age.