A nine-year-old boy has become the seventh victim of an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in Sarawak, officials said.

The boy died on Monday afternoon in Sibu, one of the areas worst hit by the disease which mainly affects children.

"The children, who had succumbed to the disease are usually admitted under stressful condition, with neurological signs, while those who come early for treatment can survive," said Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister D George Chan according to the official Bernama news agency.

Chan said Sarawak had seen 158 new cases in the last day, with a total of 4,278 cases have been recorded since the epidemic started early this year.

Keep kids at home

The disease has also been detected in the neighbouring country of Brunei, where it has killed one child.

Health authorities have urged parents to keep their children at home, while Malaysia's Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek has suggested that children below the age of 10 stay away from Peninsular Malaysia to curb the spread of the disease.

Hand, foot and mouth disease causes painful mouth and throat ulcers, blisters on hands and feet and fever.

Sarawak has periodically been hit by the disease. In the worst outbreak in 1997, the state recorded 31 fatalities.