553% spike in Kelantan’s HFMD cases

553% spike in Kelantan’s HFMD cases

Kelantan health department director says most cases involve children under four years old.

Eighteen outbreaks of HFMD have been declared in Kelantan between January and May.
KOTA BHARU:
Kelantan has recorded a 553% increase in the number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases, or 1,548 cases between January and early this month, compared to only 237 cases in the same period last year.

Kelantan health department director Dr Zaini Hussin said of the total, the majority of cases (75.8%) involved children aged between one and four.

Zaini said 18 outbreaks of HFMD had been declared between January and May compared to only one outbreak in the corresponding period last year.

“Outbreaks mostly occurred in kindergartens and nurseries,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, a total of 640 cases of HFMD had been recorded in Johor during the 18th epidemiology week ending May 7.

State health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the number jumped 6.8-fold compared with the corresponding ME last year, which recorded only 94 cases.

“In Johor, most cases of HFMD involve children aged 0 to six years, namely 614 cases or 96%, followed by the age group of seven to 12 years (22 cases or 3%) and the rest are over 13 years old,” he said.

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