SHENZHEN reported 624 cases of the hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) Monday and Tuesday, taking the total number of infections this year to 1,139, the Daily Sunshine said Thursday.

Only 412 people came down with the disease last year, while the number in 2006 was 330, the Daily said.

No deaths have been reported so far, the Daily said. Officials have said most of the HFMD cases diagnosed in Shenzhen were Coxsackie virus and just "a few" were potentially deadly enterovirus 71 (EV71).

"There is no need to panic at the increase in numbers as it is not deadly," said Zhang Dan, deputy director of the infectious diseases division of the health bureau.

The substantial increase did not mean a widespread outbreak in the city, according to Zhang.

Zhang said a number of cases with similar symptoms reported earlier were recently confirmed, hence raising the number significantly. The disease was listed by the ministry of health May 2 as a priority in its monitoring system. Any outbreak of the disease must be reported to the top health authority, Zhang said, adding that the largest number of cases was expected in June and July.

To respond to a possible outbreak, hospitals are required to set aside an isolation area to treat patients, the Daily quoted Jiang Hanping, chief of the city's health bureau as saying Thursday.

Shenzhen Children's Hospital and Shenzhen No. 1 People's Hospital are the only two medical institutions in the city designated to handle any outbreak of HFMD, according to a circular issued by the health bureau Wednesday.

Hospitals without a pediatrics department or infectious diseases department are prohibited from taking patients with HFMD symptoms.

The public is advised to avoid crowds and public areas, where infections are easily transmitted.

The number of HFMD cases reported in China this year jumped to 19,962 as of Wednesday, resulting in 28 deaths, official figures showed.