BEIJING (Reuters) - China reported two more deaths on Thursday from a severe strain of hand, foot and mouth disease, bringing its toll from the outbreak to 30, all of them young children, Xinhua news agency reported.

Hand, foot and mouth is a common childhood illness, but the current outbreak has led to fatalities in China, mostly when linked with enterovirus 71 (EV71), which can cause a severe form of the disease, characterized by high fever, paralysis and meningitis.

China also reported an additional 4,000 cases of hand, foot and mouth, bringing the total to nearly 20,000 across the country this year, but said the rise was due to better reporting of the outbreak, not the spread of the disease.

"The rising number is not a sign of a deteriorating situation," Xinhua said.

The two latest deaths were both on China's southern island province of Hainan, a tropical area popular with tourists.

The outbreak has centered on Fuyang city, in the poor, eastern province of Anhui, were 22 have died, but several other regions have reported fatalities.

Some 104 patients in Anhui remained in a critical condition, Xinhua said.