Health D-G: Screenings to be held at schools, kindergartens
PUTRAJAYA: Strict screenings will be carried out at kindergartens, daycare centres and lower primary schools (Year One to Three) to check the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD).
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the screening exercise was one of several measures, which had been decided by government officials who had attended a meeting on July 19 between the Health Ministry and agencies responsible for these premises.
“With the gatekeeping exercise, only children with no symptoms are allowed to enter class,” he said yesterday.
He added that more efforts would be made to boost hygiene level inside and outside such premises, including daily disinfections to be carried out at the end of school session.
Another measure to tackle the spread of HFMD was to raise the level of awareness among parents, teachers and children on the importance of personal hygiene and keeping their surroundings clean, he added.
He said 217 daycare centres and 223 kindergartens and preschools had been closed due to HFMD.
“Several classes from 27 schools have also been closed. There is also one school, each in Penang and Pahang, that has been shut down,” he said.
In the meeting, Dr Noor Hisham said, representatives from the Housing and Local Government Ministry had deliberated on the cleanliness of playgrounds at shopping mall.
“There is a need to discuss a proposal to provide hand sanitisers at these areas.”
The government, he said, had given quarantine leave for government staff if their children or those under their care contracted six diseases, including HFMD.
“This will allow the mother or father to manage one’s child, especially if the child has been warded or when the daycare centre has been ordered to shut down by the authorities. “Malaysian employers who were also present in the meeting would study the feasibility of having the same provision in the private sector.”
The cumulative cases of HFMD until Monday stood at 35,886 cases, he added.
“Most states except for Sarawak are showing higher number of HFMD cases,” he said.
He added that, as of Monday, there were 564 cases of HFMD reported nationwide.