Sarawak wants HFM to be notifable disease

Star: KUCHING: Sarawak wants hand, foot and mouth (HFM) disease to be added to the Health Ministry’s list of notifiable communal diseases.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan Hong Nam said he had made the request to Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.
He said once listed, private doctors would have to notify the health authorities if they detected the disease. There are now 20 diseases on the list.
“The worst of the HFM disease is definitely over now,” he told reporters yesterday.
However, Dr Chan said, the state authorities would not declare that the outbreak was over yet as the number of new cases reported daily was still higher than the normal average of 36 cases weekly, state-wide.
“There were 45 new cases today (yesterday) and nine new admissions,” he added.
This brought the total this year to 8,394 cases, with 1,304 admitted to hospitals.
Dr Chan said 34 children were still warded, including 10 in Bintulu hospital.
He said 67 kindergartens were checked on Monday, and no new cases were found.