Surging hand-foot-mouth disease in Beijing

Beijing saw an outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease with more than 2,600 cases reported per week from May 26 to June 22, said the capital's disease prevention center on Sunday.

In the four consecutive weeks during the period, the number of weekly reported hand-foot-mouth cases increased from 2,645 to 3,013 in Beijing, said the Beijing Disease Prevention and Control Center.

The cases were more than the same period last year, but the critical or death cases were almost the same, said the municipal health authorities.

Hand-foot-mouth disease is a viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than five years old. The disease starts with a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet. The virus is usually transmitted through digestive and respiratory systems or through intimate contact.