THERE has been a significant increase in hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in the country, with a total of 28,957 cases reported since January nationwide, compared to only 4,239 cases for the whole of last year, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He said the increase was expected with the reopening of all economic sectors, including the education sector with resumption of face-to-face learning , as well as kindergartens and child care centres.

“There is a sharp increase, but it is expected, because last year, with the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO) , we could not go out, as such, HFMD cases will increase.

“It is also a reminder to the public to take care of personal hygiene because for two years we have never thought of any disease, other than Covid-19,”  he told reporters after attending the Aidilfitri Open House in Rembau today.

He advised parents to make use of the MySejahtera application, as it contained a feature which provides information on cases of infectious diseases, which can be helpful to avoid being infected by the disease.

“MySejahtera is not to detect, but report cases confirmed by district health offices, so users can check how many cases are in the community.

“We control through announcements so that we know the hotspots, in MySejahtera we can see the hotspots of HFMD cases,” he said.

On Covid-19, Khairy said the number of cases had slightly increased after almost two weeks of Syawal and advised the public to continue wearing a face mask when in crowded places.

“As long as Malaysians are careful, in crowded places, even if in an open area, wear a face mask. If we practice this, then I believe we will be able to reduce the infection and the effects after infection,” he added.

He also advised the public, especially senior citizens aged 60 and above that have chronic diseases, to get another Covid-19 injection after six months of getting the booster dose to increase their immunity. – Bernama, May 14, 2022.