KUCHING: Within the first two months of the year, the state Health Department recorded a total amount of 1,791 cases of the Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD).
This was revealed by the department’s director Dr Jamilah Hashim during a media briefing session held at the department’s premises at Jalan Diplomatik here on Wednesday.
“This is one of the highest cases of the diseases which we have recorded throughout the years,” she said, adding that 6,629 and 8,782 cases were recorded in 2016 and 2015 respectively.
She also said that dengue cases are also commonly reported with 284 cases recorded this year up till February, with 2,773 in 2016 and 1,923 in 2015.
Other recorded cases of commonly notified communicable diseases in the state between the duration of January to February this year are food poisoning (68), malaria (184), and leptospirosis (97).
During the last two years, food poisoning cases were recorded at 863 (2016) and 1,215 (2015), malaria cases at 1,064 (2016) and 874 (2015), and leptospirosis cases at 863 (2016) and 800 (2015).
Jamilah also added that although the department and medical personnel all over the state do what they can to treat patients who have these diseases, she said that the community also has a role to play in the prevention of these diseases.
“The community has their own responsibility to play, such as not simply throwing their rubbish everywhere and washing up themselves properly.
“Personal hygiene and environmental cleanliness play an important role in preventing these diseases,” she said.
Meanwhile, 10 cases of Avian Influenza (also known as bird flu) were recorded in 2015 but none were recorded in 2016 and from January till February of this year.
The purpose of the briefing was to introduce the media to the department as well as the department’s programmes and development projects.
