HFMD: Seven of nine schools closed are in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Health (MoH) has revealed that Sabah recorded a total of 2,200 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) as of July 30.

Its minister, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, said on average, there are about 73 cases occurring on a weekly basis here in Sabah, from the start of this year to July 30. In total, there were 40,203 HFMD cases recorded in the whole country.

Dr Dzulkefly, who spoke to reporters during his visit to Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 (QEH1) on Wednesday disclosed that there are currently 25 nurseries and kindergartens that have been temporarily closed.

According to him, seven of nine schools in the country that have been closed are in Sabah (located in Beaufort, Sandakan and Tawau) while the other two are in Penang and Pahang.

“These schools have been temporarily closed for ten days to prevent the risk of a further spread of the disease,” he said.

When asked to comment as to how the MoH will address the issue at hand, Dr Dzulkefly said his ministry will be adopting a more holistic approach in handling the spread of the HFMD virus through the ‘gatekeeping’ method.

In line with this, he has advised premises all around the country, particularly nurseries and kindergartens, to minimize school activities to prevent the risk of HFMD.

“If we are united in doing this, I am confident that the number of HFMD cases in the country will decrease,” he added.