BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese medical team has been sent to Cambodia to aid in alleviation of an outbreak of EV71, an intestinal virus, the Ministry of Health said Thursday.

The medical team arrived in Phnom Penh Thursday morning with medical supplies, the ministry said.

The ministry was informed by the World Health Organization (WHO) that a number of children have been infected by EV71 in several provinces of Cambodia since April, the statement said.

The Chinese team will assist Cambodian medical workers in analyzing the virus, treating patients, studying the epidemic and training local staff, the statement said.

They will share China's experience in coping with serious epidemics, it said.

More medical teams will be sent upon request from the Cambodian side, it added.

A severe form of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has killed 54 Cambodian children since April, according to a joint investigation by the Cambodian Ministry of Health, WHO, the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A majority of the victims tested positive for EV-71, which can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, according to a WHO statement.

Editor: yan