The outbreak in Linyi began in late April. Some 470 patients had recovered as of Friday.

Another 393 people, mainly children, are suffering from the disease, and 223 of them are in hospital, provincial health department deputy director Bao Wenhui told Xinhua. The patients are scattered in different counties and towns in the Linyi area.

A two-year-old girl -- diagnosed as a probable hand-food-mouth patient -- died in hospital on April 29 after developing symptoms of fever and vomiting.

Hand-foot-mouth disease, also known as coxsackievirus infection, is a common childhood illness that mainly affects children under 10. Symptoms include fever, sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters. It often begins with a sore throat. Moderately contagious, the disease can be transmitted through nose and throat discharges. It can sometimes be fatal if complications occur.

Local health departments have launched a public awareness campaign -- reminding parents that one of the best preventive measures for the disease is frequent handwashing -- and isolated the children affected. They are monitoring the outbreak closely using a daily reporting system.

Shandong Province recorded 2,477 cases of hand-food-mouth disease in 2005, including one death, and 3,030 cases in 2006, two of which were fatal.