In just one week, the number of cases of HFMD has increased by 19%

[ASEAN NOW Content Team]

 

Over the last week, the health ministry reported a 19 percent increase in instances of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) (May 22-28).

Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, the director-general of health, said there were 18,602 instances reported this week, up from 15,548 the week before.

 

According to him, 65,535 instances were registered from January to May 28, a 27-fold rise over the same period last year, when only 2,333 cases were reported.

According to a statement released today, the majority of the instances (91%) involved youngsters aged six and under, with only 7% involving children aged seven to twelve.

Selangor had the highest number of instances (28.3%), followed by Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (12.3%), Perak (8.8%), Kelantan (7.5%), and Sabah (7.5%). (6.2 percent ).

 

From January 1 to May 28, a total of 1,505 outbreaks have been reported across the country.

With 502 outbreaks (33.4 percent), Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya led the way, followed by Selangor with 172 (11.4 percent) and Perak with 168. (11.2 percent ).

The majority of outbreaks were still happening in nurseries, kindergartens, and preschools.

 

Noor Hisham encouraged these businesses to conduct health screenings at the gates to prevent the sickness from spreading further.

"Parents are also encouraged not to bring their children to places where there is a high risk of transmission, such as public playgrounds," he added, adding that the public should report any occurrences of HFMD to the ministry so that action can be taken.

Since the beginning of 2022, the three primary types of viruses that cause HFMD in the country are Coxsackie A16 (CA16), Coxsackie A6 (CA6), and Enterovirus 71. (EV71).