Health authorities in the eastern province said the two children died of HFMD, caused by the enterovirus 71 or EV71 virus, Xinhua reported.

Health experts said HFMD can be caused by many intestinal viruses but EV71 and Cox A16 were the most common. The disease usually starts with a slight fever followed by blisters and ulcers in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet. Those infected by EV71 can also suffer meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis. There is as no vaccine to guard against it.

As of Thursday, 24,934 children had been infected and 34 had died, Xinhua reported.

Besides Anhui, other provinces where the disease has spread include Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan and Zhejiang.