Facing off an outbreak

A thermometer, bottles of disinfectant and plenty of banlangen - a cheap concoction of Chinese medicine known to ward off viral infections.

Together with a yellow leaflet spelling out health tips such as washing hands frequently and not eating raw food, these are the tools that Li Baojun employs to help his family fight the deadly enterovirus 71 (EV71) that has hit the city of Fuyang in Anhui province in the past months.

"These are now inseparable in our everyday life, since the outbreak of EV71 in our city killed more than 20 youngsters," Li, 20, a father of a 5-month-old boy, told China Daily early last month.