SOME 8,376 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) were reported in Johor this year to date, a 79-fold increase compared to 106 cases for the same period last year.

Health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said most of the cases occurred in children under the age of six with 7,214 cases, followed by age 7 to 12 (998 cases) and the rest over 13 (164 cases).

He said Johor Baru recorded the highest incidence with 2,897 cases, Kluang (1,093), Tangkak (883), Batu Pahat (846), Segamat (752), Kota Tinggi (650), Pontian (539), Muar (325), Kulai (266) and Mersing (125).

“So far, there is only one active outbreak of HFMD reported in the state, in the Johor Baru district,” he said in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Ling said 75% of the cluster of respiratory tract infections, influenza-like illness (ILI) and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) reported in Johor, involved educational institutions.

He said the number of epidemic clusters reported until the 28th epidemiology week also showed an increase, with 16 clusters compared to eight clusters for the same period last year.

According to Ling, a total of 1,352 cases of URTI were reported in the state until the 28th week, compared to 574 cases in the same period last year.

“Monitoring carried out by the state Health Department on ILI and URTI infections shows the situation was still under control despite several clusters detected in boarding schools,” he said. – Bernama, July 17, 2022.