SHAH ALAM: The number of weekly cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Selangor has now exceeded the warning level, says Selangor Health director Datuk Dr Sha’ari Ngadiman.

       He said as of April 27, the disease, which infects children under age seven, had recorded 5,346 cases with the number of weekly cases exceeding the alarming level.

       "At the same time, 112 HFMD clusters have been reported involving 547 cases, with 95% of them involving clusters in nurseries, kindergartens and day-care centres but no deaths were reported," he said in a statement on Friday (April 29).

       Dr Sha’ari said the Selangor State Health Department (JKNS) urges the public, notably entrepreneurs and caregivers of children, to take precautions such as ensuring the cleanliness of the premises, floors, bathrooms and equipment used by children.

       "Besides that, the parties in charge must do screening at the entrance of a place, practise personal hygiene including washing hands when handling children, ensure disposable diapers are thrown into covered bins and to report an HFMD cluster to the nearby district health office," he added.

       He also advised parents of children with symptoms of HFMD infection not to bring their kids to public places, adopt a regime of washing hands with soap and to clean children’s toys regularly.

       HFMD is a disease caused by viral infections, specifically the Coxsackie types A16 and Enterovirus 71 (E71) that are transmitted through direct contact with nasal fluid, saliva, blisters and faeces of the sufferer. - Bernama