Pahang health department director Dr Nor Azimi Yunus said that of the 3,760 cases, 175 cases, or 4.7%, were in preschools, while the remaining 3,585 cases (95.3%) occurred sporadically.

“Only 98 cases, or 2.6%, were admitted to hospital for further monitoring, but did not require admission to the intensive care unit (ICU),” she said.

She was speaking to reporters after conducting examinations and health education on HFMD, at childcare centres and kindergartens in the Kuantan district here, today.

Nor Azimi said up to yesterday, the department had visited 505 childcare centres and kindergartens statewide, of which 35 were ordered to close under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), while two daycare centres closed voluntarily.

During the inspections, she said, health personnel also taught care centre operators to conduct screenings at the entry point to the premises to ensure that the children did not have symptoms of HFMD, such as fever, blisters on the hand, foot, mouth and tongue or poor appetite.

In Perak, 194 HFMD cases were reported during the epidemiological week 22 as of last Monday, a 32-fold increase compared with the same period last year, which only recorded six cases.

State health, environment, science and green technology committee chairman Akmal Kamarudin said that four childcare centres had been closed after recurrent cases of infection as some parents still sent their children to the centres despite them having symptoms.

“In addition, there were childcare centre operators who did not conduct screenings, or don’t have an isolation room if a child is symptomatic,” he said when contacted here today.