Hand, foot & mouth disease - Malaysia

[DB]

http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=13202

HFMD: Health ministry closes down all 488 kindergartens in Sarawak

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry on March 3, 2006, ordered al l 488 kindergartens in Sarawakto be closed for two weeks to check rising cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) among children.
Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the decision was made after consulting Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan.
"To date, only 32 kindergartens had been ordered to be shut down. This state-wide action is taken to cut off the transmission of the infection of the disease which has increased markedly in the state," he told a media briefing in his office on March 3, 2006.
He said the rise in HFMD cases was first detected in Sibu, followed by Kuching, Bintulu and Miri.
Chua said it has been a trend for HFMD outbreaks in Sarawak once in three years from 1997, 2000, 2003 and early this year.
"There were 942 cases between Jan 1, 2006, and Feb 18, 2006, compared with only 270 in the same period last year.
HFMD have claimed three children, the latest death was March 1, 2006.
"This is worrying ... one of them was positive Enterovirus 71 (EV71), the virus which caused deaths during the HFMD outbreak in 1997," he said.
Chua said the decision to shut down kindergartens was to cut off transmission of the disease effectively and to facilitate clean-up work at the premises.
"This disease is spread through saliva and faeces from those with the disease. Saliva is the mode of transmission," he said.
Chua advised parents to ensure their children's personal hygiene as HFMD attacks children aged 10 and below.
Children with symptoms like fever, ulcer and sore throat should seek treatment immediately. Death is caused by complications like inflammation of the heart and sometimes meningitis.
Chua said problems arose when parents allowed their HFMD-infected children to move around actively which could cause them to suffer complications like inflammation of the heart.
"This is the main cause of deaths. Normally, the disease has no complications and thos infected will recover in three to five days.
"What's important is rest, medicine to bring down the fever, drink water and maintain cleanliness. This treatment is easy and not difficult," he added.

 

[eladdie]

Hand, foot & mouth - Malaysia - 6 dead / 488 schools closed in Malaysia

Hand, foot & mouth - Malaysia - 6 dead / 488 schools closed in Malaysia

Child disease claims 6th Malaysian victim

Kuala Lumpur (dpa) - A 14-month-old boy became the latest casualty of an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in eastern Malaysia, bringing the number of fatalities to six so far this year, news reports said Sunday.

George Chan, deputy chief minister of Malaysia's Sarawak state, said the child died in a hospital Saturday, the Sunday Star newspaper reported.

[In separate health news, Malaysia has ruled out the possibility of bird flu in the death of 130 chickens in a central state. Veterinary Services Department director-general Mustapa Jamil said samples from the birds sent for analysis showed no traces of the H5N1 virus. "There is no cause for alarm," he told the New Straits Times newspaper.]

A total of 82 children are currently hospitalized for the disease, Chan said, noting that Sarawak has reported 3,984 so far in 2006.

To prevent the crisis from worsening, Malaysian authorities are considering closing down playgrounds in Sarawak, the report said said.

"The HFM disease in Sarawak has reached a critical level," Education Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said.

So far, more than 488 kindergarten and primary-school operators in Sarawak have been ordered to close following an alarming rise in the number of reported cases in the state.

Neighbouring Brunei, which has recorded one death from the disease, has also ordered the indefinite closure of all kindergartens, day-care centres and primary schools.

The disease is a viral infection common in children and results in fever, mouth sores and a blistering rash, usually on the hands and feet. It is unrelated to foot-and-mouth disease, which is a disease of cattle, sheep and swine.

Children are most susceptible to the disease, but adults can also be affected.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=84647

 

[eladdie]

Brunei closes all primary and kindergarten schools too

Brunei closes all primary and kindergarten schools too

All schools are closed too. Brunei shares a border with Malasia.

Brunei shuts schools to curb viral disease
09 Mar 2006 05:55:31 GMT
Source: Reuters

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, March 9 (Reuters) - Brunei has ordered the closure of all primary and nursery schools after the Southeast Asian kingdom reported its first death from the hand, foot and mouth viral disease, the government said on Thursday.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a viral infection common in children and results in fever, mouth sores and a blistering rash, usually on the hands and feet. It is unrelated to foot-and-mouth disease, a disease of cattle, sheep and swine.

The tiny sultanate on the forest-covered island of Borneo is taking the precautionary step after health authorities reported 32 cases with one death, that of a two-year-old boy, this week, the education ministry said in a statement.

"The figure of reported cases ... is at a high level, but not high enough to be regarded as an outbreak," the ministry said.

Brunei said it advised its citizens against travelling to the neighbouring Malaysian state of Sarawak, which has reported nearly 3,300 cases, including four deaths, in Malaysia's worst outbreak of the disease since 1997.

Children are most susceptible to the illness, but adults can also be affected.

Malaysia reported 13 cases of the disease in 2001, in its southern-most state of Johor, bordering Singapore. The previous year, four children died of the disease, and an outbreak in 1997 killed 13