CASES of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) continue to rise in Sabah, Terengganu and Perak but are still under control.

In Sabah, state health department director Dr Rose Nani Mudin said that 2,654 HDFM cases were reported until May 16, the highest increase compared to 55 cases during the same period last year. 

She said the five districts reporting the highest number of cases were Tawau (435 cases), Sandakan (387), Lahad Datu (308), Kota Belud (244) and Papar (229).

“A total 93.1% of the cases were children below the age of six. Most transmissions occurred at home or at early education centres,” she said in a statement today.

She said no deaths arising from HFMD had taken place to date and urged nursery and kindergarten proprietors to take immediate action to stop the spread of the disease at their premises.

In Terengganu, 1,182 HFMD cases have been recorded since early this year until last Tuesday.

State health department director, Dr Kasemani Embong said there had been a 10-fold increase in recorded cases compared to the 103 cases recorded in the same period last year.

She said, however, the spread of the disease was still under control because it did not involve serious infections among patients.

In Perak, state health, science, environment and green technology committee chairman, Mohd Akmal Kamarudin, said the state government would shut down child care premises upon receiving a directive from the Health Ministry (MOH) if infections in the state continue to rise.

“The Perak health department will close kindergartens, nurseries and day care centres if cases become severe.

“To date, there is no directive to shut,” he told a media conference after the 2022 state-level International Biodiversity Day celebration.

A total of 2,638 HFMD cases were recorded in the state as of Tuesday.

Prior to this, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said HFMD was spreading at an alarming rate in the country.

He said that the spread was 15 times greater compared to during the same period last year with 31,661 cases reported.

A total 7,526 cases were recorded during the 19/2022 epidemiology week (EW) ending on May 14, which showed a hike of 349% compared to the prior EW, with only 1,676 cases nationwide, he added. – Bernama, May 19, 2022.