Four more children died in a hand-foot-mouth disease outbreak in central China's populous Henan Province as of Wednesday, bringing the death toll to 29, a local health official said Thursday.

The dead were among the 41,088 cases reported in Henan, 10,244 up from the figure released last Wednesday, said Liu Xuezhou, director of the Henan Provincial Health Department.

According to Liu, 12,477 children had been hospitalized, 2,023 of whom were still in hospitals, including 319 in serious condition.

"The number of cases is likely to rise further as the period of May-July is a peak season for the disease," he warned.

The province had ordered health authorities to step up efforts on disease prevention and be sure sufficient funds were available, he added.

Hand-foot-mouth disease is a common childhood illness that mainly affects children under the age of 10. Symptoms include fever, sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters. It can sometimes be fatal if complications occur.

(Xinhua News Agency April 24, 2009)