Khairy warns of a steep increase in HFMD cases, advises public to take care of personal hygiene

The country has recorded a significant increase in hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), with a total of 28,957 cases reported since January until last Friday (13 May), compared to only 4,239 cases for the whole of last year.

The statistics were revealed by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin at a press conference during the Aidilfitri Open House on Saturday (14 May).

According to Bernama, he said the increase was expected with the reopening of all economic sectors, as well as the re-operation of the education sector and resumption of face-to-face learning, as well as kindergartens and child care centres.

“There is a sharp increase, but it is expected, because last year, with the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO), we could not go out, now we can go out As such, the HFMD cases will increase, and now we have returned to normal, this will happen.”

“It is also a reminder to the public to take care of personal hygiene because for two years we have never thought of any disease, other than Covid-19,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khairy also urged parents to make use of MySejahtera’s “Infectious Disease Tracker” feature to obtain more information on the spread of the disease, as it can be helpful to avoid being infected by the disease.

“MySejahtera is not to detect, but report…cases confirmed by the district health office will be reported there, so users can check how many cases are in the community.”

“We control through announcements so that we know the hotspots. In MySejahtera we can see the hotspots of HFMD cases,” he said.

Commenting on the Covid-19 statistics, he said the ministry has recorded a slight increase in the number of cases after almost 2 weeks of Syawal. He then advised the public to continue wearing the face mask when in crowded places.

“As long as Malaysians are careful, when the place is crowded, even if in an open area, wear a face mask. If we practice this, then I believe we will be able to reduce the infection and the effects after the infection,” he said.

He also urged the public, especially senior citizens aged 60 and above and those who have chronic diseases, to get another Covid-19 injection after six months of getting the booster dose to increase their immunity.