Hand, foot and mouth disease kills 17 in central China

Hand, foot and mouth disease sickened nearly 35,000 people and killed 17 in June in central China's Hunan province as high temperatures helped spread the disease, said local authorities Sunday.

In June, 34,768 cases were reported and 17 people died of the disease, according to statistics of the Hunan provincial Health Department.

The disease incidence rate in June was much higher than that of last June, which has much to do with the high temperatures this summer, said Liu Fuqiang with the provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The provincial CDC has reminded parents and kindergarten teachers to send children to hospital as soon as they show symptoms, such as mouth sores, skin rashes or fever, Liu said.

The disease killed 19 children in April in Hunan, according to the provincial Health Department. ' The department warned of the high prevalence of the disease and other infectious diseases such as Dengue fever and malaria during the summer.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than five years old.