Beijing has so far reported 1,092 cases of children infected with hand-foot-mouth disease this month, a sharp increase on previous months, authorities said yesterday.

Most of the infections involved children under the age of five, the Beijing municipal health bureau said.

But there have been no reports of any critical cases, it said, adding that it had ordered all medical institutions in the city to provide daily updates on cases of the disease.

The city reported more than 100 cases a day on June 11, 13 and 14, the bureau said.

As of May 16, Beijing had logged just 422 cases of the disease, its municipal disease control and prevention center said. Only 186 cases were reported for the period January-May last year.

Hand-foot-mouth disease, also known as coxsackievirus infection, is a common childhood illness that mainly affects children under the age of 10. Symptoms include fever, sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters. It often begins with a sore throat.

Moderately contagious, the disease, more common in summer and autumn, can be transmitted through nose and throat discharges. It can sometimes be fatal if complications occur.

In Linyi, eastern Shandong Province, two boys and a girl, all under the age of two, have died from the disease this year, the provincial health department said. Linyi had reported 1,263 cases as of May 24, 872 of which had recovered.

As of May 21, China had reported 5,459 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease, up 119 percent on last year, the health ministry said.

Xinhua

(China Daily 06/20/2007 page5)