PENANG NUTP: REPORT DISEASE PROMPTLY

Schools must prioritise students’ health and safety, says chairman

THE Penang National Union of the Teaching Profession (NUTP) has urged teachers to promptly report cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) at their schools.

Its chairman, Ng Weng Tutt, said school management should not take the matter lightly as the disease, apart from being able to spread rapidly, could lead to an outbreak if it was not contained early.

He said schools must give priority to their students’ health and safety.

“Once they noticed or are told about students infected with HFMD, contact the authorities immediately. In this case, the nearby Health Department.”

He said as the disease was contagious, it was proper that schools were temporarily closed for disinfection to be conducted.

Meanwhile, Bernama reports that two more schools, including one where only Year One to Year Three classes were previously closed, had been ordered to close completely following the disease.

This brings the number of facilities, which are closed due to HFMD, to 20, including 13 nurseries, a childcare centre and four schools, as well as an international school, which have been closed for 10 days for disinfection after the disease was detected at their premises.

Between January to yesterday, 65 facilities have been closed in stages due to HFMD.

Yesterday Penang Education Department director Mohd Jamil Mohamed said two schools were ordered closed for 10 days.

This, he said, was for them to comply with the state Health Department instruction that disinfection be carried out at the affected schools to prevent the spread of the disease.

“According to a report, SJK(C) Sam Sun was closed when three students were found to have contracted the disease while SJK(C) Phor Tay, where six classes from Year One to Year Three were closed from July 7, was closed from yesterday.

“The measure was taken after 11 cases were recorded in SJK(C) Phor Tay. Two schools were closed since Tuesday, namely SJK(C) Shih Chung (Cawangan) which had six cases of HFMD, and Tenby International School. All the schools are in the North-East District,” he said.

Jamil said nine classes in SJK(C) Chong Cheng in Sungai Ara were closed after eight pupils contracted HFMD.

He added that the state Health Department was monitoring the school.

He said pupils in the affected schools did not have to replace the school sessions they missed and the teachers could use their discretion to complete the syllabus this year.

State Health Director Dr Wan Mansor Hamzah said another school, SJK(C) Chung San, was being inspected and had been placed under alert.

“To date, 1,679 HFMD cases have been reported in Penang between January and Tuesday. Another child was admitted to the Seberang Jaya Hospital, bringing the total number of cases at the hospital to two, while two other patients are at Penang Hospital,” he said.

HFMD is a viral disease caused by the Coxsackie A16 and Enterovirus 71 (EV71) virus and the symptoms include fever, rash in the palms and feet and ulcers in the mouth and on the tongue, as well as upper respiratory tract infection. It is spread through saliva, blisters and faeces.