(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-05 23:19

HANGZHOU  -- Zhejiang Province in east China has recorded 1,198 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), including one death, this year, the provincial health department said on Monday.

A five-year-old boy died of the epidemic triggered by the intestinal virus known as EV71 in Wenzhou city on April 6 when medical efforts failed.

Another eight HFMD cases were also tested positive for EV71, a highly contagious virus that preys on children usually aged between two and six.

The rest of the registered cases were possibly caused by Cox A 16 or Echo virus, according to Lin Junfen, an expert with the provincial center for disease control and prevention.

Zhejiang has witnessed an increasing number of HFMD cases in recent years. It reported 101 cases in 2005, 793 cases in 2006 and 1,607 cases in 2007, said Zhao Feng, an official with the health department.

A medical emergency reporting mechanism has been established in the province to closely track suspected cases, and local authorities have been reminding people of paying more attention to sanitation.

Altogether 26 children have died of the disease across the nation, with 22 registered in Anhui Province and three in Guangdong Province. Tests have confirmed 25 of the deaths were triggered by EV71.