HFMD death: MoE awaits full report
If two cases are confirmed in the same classroom, the classroom concerned would be closed for a period of 14 days in accordance with the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedure (SOP).
JOHOR BAHRU: Ministry of Education ( MoE) is still awaiting the full report on the death of a two-year boy in Mukah, Sarawak from suspected hand, foot and mouth disease ( HFMD) on Saturday, says deputy minister Teo Nie Ching.
She said the ministry needed to ascertain if the incident stemmed from school or public areas.
“If two cases are confirmed in the same classroom, the classroom concerned would be closed for a period of 14 days in accordance with the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedure (SOP).
“The closure of the school or classroom would depend on the Health Ministry’s directive and at the same time, teachers at the school are also asked to examine their pupils for HFMD symptoms and they would be brought immediately to the nearest clinic,” she told reporters after officiating at the 105th anniversary celebration of Foon Yew schools here yesterday.
The case in Mukah is believed
Teo Nie Ching, Deputy Education Minister
to be the first such fatality reported in the HFMD outbreak so far this year.
Meanwhile she advised parents in Johor, especially in the capital city, who sent their children to schools in Singapore to take precautionary measures to avoid the risk of contracting HFMD, as set by the Health Ministry.
She said the measures included avoiding bringing their children to high-risk public places such as shopping malls and playgrounds.
Meanwhile, Teo, who is also Kulai MP, said her ministry would give aid priority to the most critically dilapidated schools as soon as possible. She said about 3,000 out of the 10,000 schools nationwide are categorised as being in a dilapidated state and would need big allocations to upgrade their infrastructure and facilities. — Bernama