BEIJING - China's food and drug watchdog approved the production of a vaccine Thursday that can effectively curb the hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD).

The vaccine, human diploid cell, is the world's first against enterovirus 71 (EV71), a primary cause of the HFMD, said Wang Junzhi, deputy head of National Institutes for Food and Drug Control.

Clinic tests show that the vaccine is very safe and can prevent 97.3 percent of testers from infecting the EV71, according to the Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the vaccine developer.

The HFMD is caused by a group of enterovirus including EV71, which causes severe heart and lung complications that can lead to death.

It has become one of the most universal infectious diseases in China due to lack of vaccines. Infants and children under five years are most vulnerable to the disease.