Sarawak said it was stepping up efforts to control an epidemic of hand, foot-and-mouth disease with indications it was spreading to rural areas.

Deputy Chief Minister George Chan said Sarawak would deploy its flying doctor service to monitor people for symptoms of the disease, which affects mainly infants and young children and causes mouth and throat ulcers.

He said the government would also undertake an information blitz to educate people on the disease, the state Bernama news agency reported.

"We are going to increase the number of talks and give more information on HFMD through the radio, especially in Bahasa Iban and Bidayuh so more people in the rural areas will understand more," he was quoted as saying, referring to the languages of Sarawak's indigenous groups.

Eight fatalities

The death toll from the disease has climbed from seven to eight, while cases have been recorded in the state's interior as well as the smaller towns of Mukah, on the central coast, and Kapit in central Sarawak, Chan said.

The majority of cases have so far been recorded in Sarawak's main towns, including its capital Kuching.

The minister said the state would also increase staff numbers in hospitals to cope with the situation.

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