Hand-foot-and-mouth disease kills 8 in central China

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) sickened 17,058 people and killed 8 in July in central China's Hunan province, the provincial health authorities said Monday.

In June, 34,768 cases of HFMD were reported and 17 people died of the disease, and 20,078 cases of HFMD infections were reported in April, according to statistics from Hunan's provincial health department.

The disease incidence rate in August and September will decrease as cool weather sets in, according to the Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

HFMD is caused by a group of viruses known as enterovirus (EV), including EV71, which causes severe complications that can lead to death.

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