Hand-Foot-Mouth-Disease

Three kindergartens in Sarawak were closed after cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) were detected by a health team yesterday.

They were Sedidik Jaya in Sri Aman and Kindergarten Methodist Sze Hua and Tadika St Clement, both in Sarikei.

All districts were being monitored to prevent another outbreak.

Up to the fourth week this year, 132 cases have been reported, with 40 cases in Kuching, 23 in Sarikei and Sibu, 14 in Bau and 12 in Miri.

HFMD is endemic in Sarawak. It occurs once every three years. The last outbreak was in early last year. The outbreak was declared over on Oct 3.

On Jan 24, the state health department issued an alert to all districts and hospitals when the Institute of Health and Community Medicine of Universiti Malaysia Sarawak reported that it had detected the EV71 virus in Kuching, Sarikei, Miri and Limbang.

All districts had been told to step up preventive measures and investigate reports of the disease.

Checks must also be made at childcare centres, nurseries and pre-schools.

Sarawak state in eastern Malaysia has reported 19 new cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in the past 24 hours, an official said Saturday.

Among the new cases detected up to 10 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) Saturday, nine children have been hospitalized. There were no critically ill case.

Ten of the new cases were detected in Miri and the rest in Sibu, Kapit, Samarahan and Bintulu.

The latest figure brought the total number of children infected with HFMD so far to 14,392.

The HFMD epidemic has hit Sarawak in two waves this year and claimed 13 lives.

Sarawak, which has been hit twice by the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) epidemic this year, is requesting more funds from the Health Ministry to undertake further study on its transmission dynamics.

The state had the expertise to carry out the study, which was necessary to establish a base level for HFMD cases, before it could be declared HFMD-free within the next few weeks.

"The disease is endemic to Sarawak but it is important to know if five or six new cases detected daily should be considered as a normal level, especially as it is such a new phenomenon," he told a press conference at his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Petra Jaya here.

The first HFMD outbreak surfaced on Jan 29 while the second on May 7 and has claimed 13 lives so far, including seven who were tested positive for the deadly Enterovirus 71 (EV71).

The Sarawak Health Department was monitoring the situation, which was now stable with the last HFMD-related death reported on Aug 8.

13 new cases were detected with six children admitted to the hospitals over the last 24 hours up to 10am today, though none are critically ill.

With the latest figures, the total number of reported cases stood at 14,227 with a total of 2,835 children hospitalised for the disease so far.

For the past three years the department had been collaborating with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas)'s Health and Community Medicine Faculty for a breakthrough in producing a vaccine for HFMD.

As such, he said federal funding was very much needed to conduct a detailed study for which Sarawak had the expertise, including Prof Dr Jane Cardoza, who had wide experience in dealing with Japanese encephalitis (JE) and malaria.

Eight more children were hospitalized for the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) during the past 24 hours in eastern Malaysia, an official said Sunday.

Up to 10 a.m. Sunday in Sarawak state, 18 new HFMD cases were detected but no one was critically ill.

Among the new cases, seven were detected in Sibu division, followed by six in Miri and five in Bintulu.

The latest figures brought the total number of children infected with the disease to 13,969 since it broke out early this year in this eastern state.

So far, the HFMD has claimed 13 lives, including seven who were tested positive for the deadly Enterovirus 71 (EV71).

Sarawak state in eastern Malaysia has detected 23 new cases of the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in the past 24 hours, an official said Sunday.

Among the new cases reported until 10 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Sunday, 10 children have been hospitalized.

Six of the children were admitted to the Miri hospital, two in Bintulu and the rest in Sibu and Limbang.

The latest figure brought the total number of children infected since the disease broke out early this year to 13,800.

Throughout the state, Sibu registered the highest number with 3, 025 cases, followed by Miri (2,872), Kuching (2,125), Bintulu (1, 761) and Sarikei (946).

So far, the disease has claimed 13 lives, including seven who were tested positive for the deadly Enterovirus 71 (EV71).

The HFMD can be spread from person to person by direct contact with the nasal discharge, saliva, faces and fluid from the rash of an infected person and indirectly by contaminated articles. Children are more vulnerable to the disease while adults can carry the virus without showing any symptoms of infection, said local health authorities.

Twelve children were hospitalised including three in serious condition as the Sarawak Health Department detected 45 new cases of the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) yesterday

He said the three seriously ill children were admitted in Miri Hospital, including a one-year-old boy and one-year, four-month girl who were admitted Saturday and another eight-month-old baby girl admitted Sunday.

The second wave of the outbreak has hit Miri City, the worst this month forcing the temporary closure of nine kindergartens, a nursery and a pre-school as part of pre-emptive measures to contain the spread of the disease.

Caution is advised with small children and preventive measures should be taken.

Four children, listed as critically ill from the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), are all still under 'close observation' today as 45 new cases were reported in the state.

Miri, the state's HFMD hotspot, continues to report the highest number of new cases - 25, with 10 of them admitted to the Miri Hospital. Bintulu reported 10 new cases; Sibu seven; Kuching two and Samarahan one.

A nursery in Miri was ordered closed for two weeks yesterday because of hand, foot and mouth disease(HFMD).

The Abim Nursery in Piasau Jaya became the 11th childcare institution in Sarawak to be shut down since July, while a primary school in Padawan here was also told to stop operations last month.

39 new cases were reported throughout the state yesterday, including 18 in Miri division. Sibu and Bintulu reported seven cases each while Kuching had three and Betong two.

Eight children were admitted to hospital, bringing to 16 the number of HFMD patients currently warded but none were reported to be critically ill.

The cumulative number of cases now stands at 13,363.

A four-year-old boy in Malaysia's eastern Sarawak state has become the 13th fatality in an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease that authorities have been battling to contain.
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The boy died early Tuesday in a hospital in the town of Miri in the state's north as the total number of cases since the outbreak began early this year exceeded 13,200, said the state Bernama news agency.

http://www.todayonline.com/articles/135258.asp

The Health Ministry's team of infectious disease specialists has been deployed to Miri as the division had reported the highest number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) during the current outbreak.

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