Health Ministry mulls action over HFMD outbreak

KUALA LUMPUR: Action can be taken against childcare centres which record unusually frequent occurrences of the hand, foot and mouth disease ( HFMD), Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said yesterday.

He told the Dewan Rakyat that the ministry would monitor the outbreak of the disease and discuss what form of action could be taken against these premises.

The minister was replying to a supplementary question, from Wong Kah Woh ( PH-Ipoh Timur), during the Ministers’ Question Time in the House.

Dzulkefly said, however, that so far no action had been taken against any of the premises.

He said that 39,408 HFMD cases were recorded between Jan 1 and July 29 this year, with Selangor having the highest number of cases at 11,669 followed by Kuala Lumpur (4,552) and Sarawak (4,551).

Replying to a supplementary question, from Ahmad Marzuk Shaary ( PAS-Pengkalan Chepa), on certain products said to be effective in treating HFMD, he said the ministry was studying several recommendations including the effectiveness of a vaccine being developed in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the ministry viewed seriously the HFMD issue, more so following confirmation that a 17-month- old baby boy in Penang died on June 6 of the disease.

Civil servants with children suffering from HFMD were allowed to take leave for five days to take care of them, he said at a press conference after opening the APHM International Healthcare Conference and Exhibition 2018. — Bernama