KUCHING : Kuching Member of Parliament, Dr Kevin Yii recently paid a courtesy visit to the “Tadika” classes of SJK(C) Sg Apong and Tabika Perpaduan Ong Tiang Swee to meet the pupils as well as to further raise awareness of the Hand Food and Mouth Disease outbreak (HFMD) that affected mainly younger children.
The statistics and increasing number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) across the country including Sarawak call for greater vigilance and more cooperation between the Ministry of Health and different relevant agencies including members of public, parents and teachers. Based on the latest statistics provided by the Minister of Health, 59,584 HFMD cases were recorded nationwide between January 1 and September 11, 2018, with Selangor having the highest number of cases at 17,045 followed by Sarawak (7,213 cases) and Kuala Lumpur (6398 cases).
Just last week, Yii said a year -old toddler brought to the Sibu Hospital at the end of last month was confirmed to be suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) caused by Enterovirus 71 (EV71). “The patient is reportedly critically ill on ventilation. On July 28 this year, a toddler from Kampung Pangtray in Daro, Mukah died at Sibu Hospital due to Enterovirus 71 (EV71),” said the Kuching MP. During the recent visits to the Tadika” classes of SJK(C) Sg Apong and Tabika Perpaduan Ong Tiang Swee, Yii said: “ We bought and presented liquid hand sanitizers to the teachers of the different pre-school classes to be used by them and also the children in the schools. “We had an interactive time with the children, teaching them the importance of washing their hands as well as some proper basic hand washing techniques.”
The teachers and kindergarten staff, Yii added, were also informed to keep an eye out for such symptoms in their students and to contact their parents to bring their children home in case of such occurrence. “They are also aware of the need to keep their premises clean and promote greater personal hygiene including washing of their own hands often since they are the ones directly handling and coming into contact with the children as well.
“Besides teachers, it is also important for parents and members of the public to play their role in maintaining good personal hygiene right from home and also monitoring their children for HFMD symptoms, and if there is, to seek the required medical attention as well keep the children at home and away from public places and practise good personal hygiene and constant monitoring of the symptoms.” Yii added: “We will all play our part to promote awareness of the importance of personal hygiene to curb this disease. We will be visiting different schools, especially preschools and kindergartens to help promote awareness on the matter. There are currently about 30 registered preschools and kindergartens in the constituency of Bandar Kuching, including private and government run preschools,” he added.
HFMD is a disease caused by Coxsackie A16 and Enterovirus 71 viruses, which are transmitted through direct contact with the nasal fluid, saliva, blisters and stool of the affected individuals . Among the symptoms of the disease are fever, rash or blisters on the palms and feet as well as ulcers in the mouth and on the tongue.
