THE growing number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) among children in Malaysia is largely attributed to the loosening of the Covid-19 restrictions,  health experts said.

They said children are now allowed to socialise with the lifting of health curbs.

HFMD cases rose to 7,526 on May 14 from 1,676 the week before.

Most of the cases – 94% – were among children aged six and below.

The majority of cases were in Selangor (28%), followed by Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya at 14%, Sabah (8%), Perak (8%) and Kelantan (7.9%).

Malaysia Public Health Physicians president Dr Zainal Ariffin said the rise of the disease is in tandem with the re-opening of schools and daycare centres.

“Daycare centres, kindergartens and schools are fully open now,” Zainal said, adding that HFMD is not serious but highly contagious.

“The common symptoms are fever, sore throat, blisters in the mouth, hand and feet but patients usually recover in a week or two.”

Very few cases have serious complications such as meningitis, lung problems and heart attacks, he said.

To avoid catching the disease, he advised “good personal hygiene, especially frequent hand washing with soap. And always make sure your surroundings as well as your clothes are clean”.

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin urged parents to quickly take their children to the doctor if they show symptoms of HFMD.

Khairy also instructed nurseries to check the cleanliness of their premises to prevent the spread of HFMD.

Dr Jin Ng of DoctorOnCall said most HFMD cases occurred at childcare centres, nurseries and preschools. 

“If we were to look at HFMD numbers in the previous years prior to Covid-19, they were equally as high,” he said.

He added that lockdowns had prevented young children from exposure to the disease.

“All of them are only now going to childcare centres and nurseries and susceptible to getting infected,” he said.

Ng said since the virus spreads through contact with saliva and blister fluids, parents need to tell their children to wash their hands frequently and not to share their personal belongings.

“Parents with young children should learn to identify signs of HFMD.

“Children should be brought to a medical facility if such symptoms appear,” said Ng.

He also said that nurseries, kindergartens and preschools should observe good hygiene.

“This means cleaning surfaces and toys twice a day with soap. Eating utensils should be washed each time after use.

“If there has been exposure, the contaminated areas should be cleaned with a disinfectant solution,” he said.

Paediatrician Dr Amar Singh HSS said there is no treatment for HFMD but pain and fever can be treated with paracetamol.

“Most children get better in seven to 10 days. Rarely does HFMD cause a severe disease that involves the heart (myocarditis) or brain (neurological complications),” he said.

He said cases were low in the past two years due to heightened awareness of hygiene and widespread masking and use of hand and surface alcohol disinfectants.

“This meant that many children who would have gotten HFMD during that time did not get infected.

“Now with the reopening of education services and greater mixing of children, we can expect that many more susceptible (but previously spared) children will get infected,” he said.

“Pre-school education staff should monitor children for signs and symptoms of HFMD daily on arrival. They should also make sure that children do not share eating or drinking utensils.” – May 20, 2022.