A THIRD child has died of an intestinal virus in South China's Guangdong Province, authorities said Sunday.

The 2-year-old boy died Saturday of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), triggered by the enterovirus 71 (EV71), in Maoming City after medical treatment failed, according to the provincial health department.

The boy fell ill Wednesday with symptoms of lung and brain edema and heart failure. Test results for the virus were positive, according to a preliminary examination by the city's People's Hospital, where the boy was treated.

Two other boys, who also tested positive for EV71, died in the Gaoming District of Foshan City in late April.

The province had registered 925 cases of HFMD as of Sunday. The health department has sent a specialist team to direct the response to the disease.

There has been a large outbreak of EV71 in Anhui Province, where the death toll in Fuyang city has risen to 22 since early March. More than 620 new cases were reported Saturday, including 362 in Fuyang, driving up the number of children with HFMD in Anhui to 5,151, the provincial health administration said Sunday.

The number of Chinese children infected with HFMD is continuing to rise in Anhui, Guangdong, Beijing, Jiangsu, Hunan and Hubei, with reported cases exceeding 8,531 yesterday, according to statistics released by local health departments.

The ministry asked hospitals for daily reports of the disease and for local health departments to report emergencies promptly and increase investment in research into the disease.

(Xinhua)