50pc drop in hand, foot and mouth disease cases

NST: KUCHING: There has been a 50 per cent drop in the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases (HFMD) in Sarawak since the beginning of this year, Assistant Minister of Public Health Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck said yesterday.
He said there were 1,355 cases reported for the January to March period, down 1,228 cases or about 50 per cent from 2,583 for the same period last year.
In a statement, he said there was no report of death during the period under review.
"The main concern previously was fatality among children, but this year there is none so far which is a good sign," Dr Soon said.
He cautioned the public, particularly children, to continue to practise good hygiene and to wash their hands before eating.
He added that the hygiene and preventive measures undertaken by nurseries had been effective in curbing the incidence of HFMD outbreak among pupils.
"This is partly due to improved consciousness among the nursery operators and administrators."
He advised parents not to send their children to school if they showed signs of HFMD, but to take them to hospital for treatment.
In 1997, the HFMD outbreak in Sarawak killed 31 children under the age of 6.