JOHOR BAHRU: A total of 9,048 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) was reported in Johor from Jan 1 till last Friday (Sept 16), making it the sixth state to record the highest cumulative cases of the disease.
State Health and Unity Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon (pic) said most of the cases occurred among children under the age of six with 7,797 cases, followed by those aged seven to 12 (1,087 cases), and the rest over age 13.
He said Johor Baru district recorded the highest number of cases at 3,143, Kluang (1,151), Tangkak (924), Batu Pahat (919), Segamat (810), Kota Tinggi (735), Pontian (592), Muar (343), Kulai (304) and Mersing (134).
"So far, there are two active outbreaks of HFMD reported in the state, in Kulai and Johor Baru," he said in a statement on Monday (Sept 19).
Meanwhile, Ling said a total of 3,578 cases of respiratory tract infections were reported in the state until Epidemiology Week (ME) 37/2022 with 73.7% of the clusters involving educational institutions.
He said monitoring carried out by the Johor Health Department on influenza-like illness (ILI) and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) shows the situation was still under control despite several clusters detected in boarding schools.
He also said the cumulative cases of dengue fever in ME 37/2022 logged at 2,156 cases and there was one death due to the outbreak involving a 29-year-old local woman in the district of Muar.
"Johor Baru district recorded the highest number of cases with 76 cases followed by Kulai (14), Kota Tinggi, Muar and Pontian each with two cases, while Tangkak and Segamat recorded one case each. However, no cases were reported in Mersing, Kluang and Batu Pahat districts," he added. - Bernama
