China sees no new child cases of Kashin-Beck disease for 2 years

BEIJING — China has seen no new child cases of Kashin-Beck disease, also known as "big bone disease", for two consecutive years, according to the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control (China CDC).

The detection rate of the disease among children, via X-ray inspection, has shown a downward trend, dropping to less than 1 percent in 2010, Sun Dianjun, an official with the endemic disease center of the China CDC, said on Saturday at a national symposium on the prevention and control work of the Kashin-Beck disease.

Between 2019 and 2020, patients suffering from the disease had received over 130,000 treatments with medications and 802 had surgeries, said Li Bin, deputy head of the National Health Commission (NHC), at the same conference.

All 379 infected regions had met the criteria for elimination of the disease, Li said.

China still has 179,000 patients with symptoms and is unaware of the causes of the disease, Li said, adding that the commission will further give priority to disease-stricken areas in policies, funds and personnel to support treatment.

Lin Jianhao, an orthopedics expert with the Peking University Arthritis Institute, called for efforts to revise diagnostic criteria, stipulate guidance for clinical treatment and carry out scientific research with cutting-edge technologies.

The Kashin-Beck disease is an endemic bone and joint disorder that can cause disabilities.