2 China officials fired over disease reporting

BEIJING – Two health officials in central China's Henan province were punished for mismanagement in the reporting of hand-foot-mouth disease as investigations continued into a possible cover-up, state media reported.
China Central Television reported on its Monday noon newscast that Yang Baojun, director of Minquan County Health Bureau, and Wang Zaiji, head of the Minquan County People's Hospital, were fired from their jobs following a preliminary investigation by the Ministry of Health.
The investigation follows a news report last week by China National Radio that medical staff at the hospital had apparently falsified medical histories to hide the large number of cases suffered in the county.
The report said that children with typical symptoms of the highly contagious disease had been variously misdiagnosed as having meningitis, upper respiratory infections, or intestinal infections by doctors.
After the news came out, provincial health officials and national health officials level began investigations. However, the Health Ministry's preliminary investigation said there is little evidence so far that health officials had mounted an intentional cover-up, but that it was more likely a case of reporting mismanagement. But the probe is continuing.

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