Johor records increase in HMFD cases, says health exco

JOHOR BARU: Johor recorded an increase of 1.5% in hand, foot and mouth disease (HMFD) cases in epidemiological week 33, says state health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon.

He however added that there has been a significant decline in the number of cases compared to the period of week 22 to 32.

“There was no active HFMD outbreak reported in the state in epidemiological week 33,’’ he said in a statement.

Ling said Johor was one of the five states in Malaysia with the highest cumulative cases of HFMD as of August 19.

He added that statistics from the Health Ministry showed Johor has 8,868 cases or 6.5% of all cases nationwide.

Ling said Selangor was at the top spot with 36,314 cases (26.7%), Perak (13,837 or 10.2%), the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (13,679 or 10.1%) and Sarawak (10,239 or 7.5%).

He added that Johor Baru district recorded the highest number of cases in the state with 3,075 followed by Kluang (1,139), Batu Pahat (905), Tangkak (902), Segamat (797, Kota Tinggi (717), Pontian (902), Muar (334), Kulai and Mersing with 279 and 133 cases respectively.

“In Johor, most of the HFMD cases involved children below six with 7,630 cases,’’ added Ling.

He said there were 1,071 cases involving children aged between seven and 12 years and children above 13 years old with 167 cases.

Meanwhile, Ling said there was a decline in respiratory tract infections, namely influenza-like illnesses (ILI) and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) reported in Johor.

“We recorded 5,689 cases of ILI and URTI in epidemiological week 33 compared with 6,177 in week 32,’’ he said.

Ling said 18 clusters of ILI and URTI were reported in the state, with 1,531 cases involving educational institutions.

He said the monitoring carried out by the Johor Health Department on ILI and URTI found that the situation was under control although several clusters were detected at boarding schools.

“The public is advised to take preventive measures by practicing high levels of personal hygiene such as frequent hand washing with soap and water or hand sanitisers,’’ said Ling.

He also advised the public to practice good coughing etiquette by covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, either by using a tissue or a face mask.

“Stay at least one metre away from individuals who have symptoms, and avoid visiting places if you have symptoms,’’ added Ling.

He also encouraged those with symptoms to get an influenza vaccination at private health facilities.

Ling said the department will continue to monitor the situation and trend on ILI and URTI in Johor as well as work with the relevant parties to ensure that control and prevention measures are carried out accordingly.