The Selangor State Health Department has noticed a significant increase in cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in the state and the number of weekly cases has now exceeded the warning level.
According to Bernama, the department’s director Datuk Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman said as of 27 April, the disease that infects children under 7-year-old, had recorded 5,346 cases with the number of weekly cases exceeding the alarming level.
“At the same time, 112 HFMD clusters have been reported involving 547 cases with 95 per cent of them involving clusters in nurseries, kindergartens and day-care centres but no deaths were reported,“ he said.
Dr Sha’ari then urges the public, especially entrepreneurs and caregivers of children, to take precautions such as ensuring the cleanliness of the premises, floors, bathrooms and equipment used by children.
“Besides that, the parties in charge must do screening at the entrance of a place, practise personal hygiene including washing hands when handling children, ensure disposable diapers are thrown into covered bins and to report an HFMD cluster to the nearby district health office,” he said.
He also advises parents of children with symptoms of HFMD infection to not bring their children to public places.
In addition, they should wash their hands with soap frequently and clean their children’s toys regularly.
HFMD is a disease caused by viral infections, specifically the Coxsackie types A16 and Enterovirus 71 (E71) that are transmitted through direct contact with nasal fluid, saliva, blisters and faeces of the sufferer.
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