Hand-foot-and-mouth disease resurgent in Hunan

CHANGSHA - Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) was resurgent in central China's Hunan Province in September, killing 6 and sickening 12,742, 62 of them seriously, local health authorities revealed on Thursday.

Major hospitals in Hunan reported an increasing number of patients diagnosed with HFMD symptoms in the month. Many of them were children, sources with the Hunan Provincial Health Department said.

After the HFMD peak season of spring and summer this year, the incidence of the disease fell gradually. The recent outbreak of cases indicated a resurgence of the disease, according to the sources.

China reported more than 1.6 million cases of HFMD in 2011, a year in which 509 people died of the disease, statistics released by the Ministry of Health showed.

HFMD is caused by a group of viruses known as enteroviruses, which causes severe complications that can lead to death.

Infants and children under five years old are easily affected by HFMD.