Hand-foot-mouth dangers

The Beijing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that September and October are prime time for hand-foot-mouth disease due to weather fluctuations and highly mobile student populations returning to school, the Beijing News reported.

This year's main viral strain can cause high fever, sore throat and loss of appetite but is unlikely to lead to complications. The CDC also said that this year's incidence of the disease is 16.32 percent lower than the same period in 2012. So far, no deaths have been reported in 2013.

Schools and kindergartens are urged to make efforts to guard against the disease and the general public is encouraged to take precautions with personal hygiene.