Pediatricians said parents should not panic over a rise in the number of herpangina cases in the capital.

Herpangina, which is similar in nature to the hand-foot-and-mouth disease, mostly affects children, causing them to develop sores or blisters in the mouth. They will also show symptoms of a fever and have difficulty eating and drinking. Often, the symptoms are mild and the disease can be cured in a week.

The number of herpangina cases is on the rise in Beijing, according to the Capital Institute of Pediatrics. The hospital received 987 cases of herpangina over the past week, said Chi Yang, the hospital's public relations official, on Thursday.

But the disease is not caused by a new virus strain, said Huang Hui, a doctor at the hospital's department of infectious diseases, refuting an online post that linked the rise in cases to a new strain of the herpangina virus.

Both herpangina and hand-foot-and-mouth disease are caused by an infection of enteroviruses, Huang said.

The summer and autumn seasons usually see a high incidence of both diseases among children from 1 to 7, Huang said.

It's important to maintain proper personal hygiene and ventilate apartments frequently, said Huang.

Meanwhile, the number of newly discovered cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease in Beijing has been increasing every week since the end of April, according to a weekly report of contagious diseases issued by the city's health authorities.

There have been 2,860 cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease reported in the city over the past week, the health authorities said on Thursday.