CHANGSHA - Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) sickened 17,058 people and killed 8 in July in Central China's Hunan province, the provincial health authorities said Monday.

The disease incidence rate in July was much lower than that of previous months, the department said.

The province has witnessed an increase in the disease incidence rate since March this year, with the peak period running from April to June due to the high temperatures that hit the province this summer.

In June, 34,768 cases of HFMD were reported and 17 people died of the disease, and 20,078 cases of HFMD infections were reported in April, according to statistics from Hunan's provincial health department.

The disease incidence rate in August and September will decrease as cool weather sets in, according to the Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

HFMD is caused by a group of viruses known as enterovirus (EV), including EV71, which causes severe complications that can lead to death.

Infants and children under five years old are easily affected by HFMD.