The disease is caused by a virus that causes small, blister-like bumps in the mouth, hands and feet. The blisters may also appear in the diaper area and on the legs and arms.

The worst-affected is China's eastern Anhui province, where 22 children have died in Fuyang City alone, Xinhua reported.

Total number of cases reported in the province now exceeds 5,800, including 689 new ones registered Sunday. Of those, 1,314 remain hospitalized.

Health officials say some cases have been triggered by enterovirus 71 or EV71, a highly contagious virus that preys on children usually between ages 2 and 6, the report said. The report said tests have shown 25 of the 26 deaths reported so far were as a result of EV71.

Even Beijing, which will host the Summer Olympics in August, has not been spared. Xinhua reported at least 1,482 cases had been reported by Monday in the city.

Those infected by EV71 often show serious symptoms that can also lead to meningitis, encephalitis, pulmonary edema and paralysis in some children, the report said.