A 26-month-old boy died from hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in the central province of Quang Ngai on Saturday, bringing the province’s HFMD death toll to five.

Pham Thien Trung of Tu Nghia District was admitted to the hospital with high fever, convulsions and difficult breathing. He succumbed to the disease after four days of treatment.

Quang Ngai reported around 1,500 HFMD cases, including five fatalities, so far this year.

The disease has hit 125 communes and towns in 13 of 14 districts, with most patients being aged between one and three years old.

The Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is responsible for the increasing number of HFMD cases in Quang Tri since mid-May.

Coxsackie A virus, the primary cause of the disease, is more prevalent among children during the summer and autumn months.

Typical symptoms include fever and sore throat accompanied by a rash, which may disappear in five to seven days with no complications.

However, EV71 could produce complications such as meningitis and heart failure, and eventually lead to death, according to local doctors.

Doctors recommend frequent hand washing, good hygiene and providing sanitary conditions in children’s living space to prevent the disease, as well as a doctors visit should symptoms appear and persist.