REMBAU – There has been a significant increase in hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in the country, with a total of 28,957 cases reported nationwide from last January till yesterday, compared with only 4,239 cases for the whole of last year, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
However, he said the increase was expected following the reopening of all economic sectors, including the reoperation of the education sector and the resumption of face-to-face learning, as well as the reopening of kindergartens and childcare centres.
“There is a sharp increase, but it is expected, because last year, with the implementation of the Movement Control Order, we cannot 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,” Khairy told reporters after attending his Aidilfitri open house here today.
As such, he advised parents to make use of the MySejahtera app, as it contained a feature which provides information on cases of infectious diseases, which can be helpful to avoid being infected.
“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 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.
On Covid-19, Khairy said the number of cases had slightly increased after almost two weeks of Syawal and advised the public to continue wearing face masks when in crowded places.
“As long as Malaysians are careful, when the place is crowded, even if in an open area, wear the face mask. If we practise this, then I believe we will be able to reduce the infection and the effects after the infection,” he added.
He also advised the public, especially senior citizens aged over 60 and those with chronic diseases, to get another Covid-19 injection six months after getting the booster dose to increase their immunity. – Bernama, May 14, 2022
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