Miri Resort City.com - Hand-Foot-Mouth-Disease

1 February 2007 - Disease forces 3 kindergartens to close

Thu, 1 Feb 2007 16:36:45 +0800

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.

24 September 2006 - Eastern Malaysia reports more HFMD cases

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 11:54:04 +0800

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.

11 September 2006 - Sarawak Requests Federal Funds For HFMD Study

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:12:26 +0800

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.

28 Aug 2006 - 8 more children hospitalized for HFMD in eastern Malaysia

Mon, 28 Aug 2006 14:36:41 +0800

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).

21 Aug 2006 - 23 new HFMD cases occur in Eastern Malaysia

Mon, 21 Aug 2006 10:12:07 +0800

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.

Miri hit by second wave of HFMD

Wed, 16 Aug 2006 14:12:26 +0800

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.

14 Aug 2006 - 45 new cases of HFMD reported in Sarawak

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:10:45 +0800

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.

10 August 2006 - Miri nursery closed because of HFMD

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:08:55 +0800

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.

9th August 2006 - Hand, foot and mouth disease kills 13th child in Malaysia

Wed, 9 Aug 2006 12:56:04 +0800

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.
.
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

5th August 2006 - HFMD combat team deployed to Miri

Sat, 5 Aug 2006 12:58:42 +0800

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.

More news here.

30th July 2006 - There were 47 new Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases which were reported over the past day in Sarawak.

Sun, 30 Jul 2006 10:40:28 +0800

The most number of new cases were found in Miri, Sibu and Bintulu.

With this latest report, there have now been 12,819 cases of the disease since the outbreak began last February.

Again, people are advised to take precautions

13th July 2006 - Two kindergartens ordered to close as HFMD resurfaces

Thu, 13 Jul 2006 11:38:16 +0800

Two kindergartens in Miri have been ordered shut for two weeks as the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Sarawak again spiralled upwards.

Please be informed to keep a check on your children's health regularly.

More here.

10th July 2006 - Sarawak Detects 48 New HFMD Cases

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 18:49:43 +0800

Sarawak has detected 48 new hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases, an increase from 43 yesterday with Kuching division reporting the highest number, with 11 new cases, followed by nine each in Bintulu and Miri, five each in Samarahan and Sibu and the rest in the other divisions.

More here.

30 March 2006 Prevent Hand-Foot-mouth disease

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 18:48:45 +0800

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease
Related concepts:
Coxsackievirus A16

Introduction:
A miserable child who has lost interest in eating solids? Perhaps the child has hand-foot-mouth disease.

What is it?
Hand-foot-mouth disease is a common childhood illness featuring mouth sores, fever, and a rash. Similar-sounding “foot-and-mouth disease�? is a disease of cattle and is not related to this condition.

Hand-foot-mouth disease is usually caused by a virus called coxsackievirus A16. However, many children with coxsackievirus A16 infections do not have all of the features of hand-foot-mouth disease. Some have no rash, some have no mouth sores, and some even have no fever. A variety of other viruses in the Enterovirus family can also cause hand-foot-mouth disease (the coxsackieviruses are enteroviruses).

Who gets it?
This disease is most common among young children but is seen with some frequency up until puberty. Adults can get it, but this is much less common. Once people have had coxsackievirus A16 they are generally immune, but they could get another case of hand-foot-mouth disease from one of the other, less common viruses. Most infections occur in the summer or early fall, with the peak between August and October in the northern hemisphere.

What are the symptoms?
Children with hand-foot-mouth disease usually start to feel crummy 3 to 7 days after they were exposed. Often, the first thing parents notice is their children’s decreased appetite for solids. Children may also have a fever and a sore throat. A day or two later, many children develop sores in the mouth. They begin as small red spots on the tongue, gums, or mucous membranes. They may blister or form ulcers.

A skin rash may also develop over a day or two, with flat or raised red spots. Unlike with many rashes, the spots are often found on the palms and soles. Also, it is common to have the rash on the buttocks. Often, the red spots will form tender blisters (although not on the buttocks). Unlike with chickenpox, the rash does not itch.

Usually the rash disappears and the child feels better within about 1 week.

How is it diagnosed?
Usually the diagnosis is made based on the history and physical exam. Lab tests are available for the coxsackieviruses and other enteroviruses, but they are not usually necessary. Hand-foot-mouth disease is sometimes confused with strep throat, which can also begin with a fever and sore throat. It is sometimes mistaken for chickenpox because they both have blisters. It might be confused with any of the childhood exanthems. Also, many children with hand-foot-mouth disease are diagnosed with ear infections because the eardrums may appear red.

How is it treated?
Antibiotics do not help with hand-foot-mouth disease. The important issues are pain relief and plenty of fluids.

How can it be prevented?
The viruses that cause hand-foot-mouth disease are present both in the stool and in the respiratory secretions. It can spread by fecal–oral transmission, droplet transmission, contact transmission, and by means of fomites. Hand cleansing—especially after diapering/toileting and before eating—can help reduce its spread. Children are often kept out of school or daycare for the first several days of the illness, but it is not clear this prevents others from becoming infected. Other children in the class are probably contagious even though they will never develop symptoms.

Article from DrGreene.com