HFMD cases expected to fall within 2 to 3 weeks - Khairy
He said HFMD cases tend to be seasonal, and outbreaks of the disease usually start clearing up within a month.
The number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases are expected to decrease within the next two to three weeks, said Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
He said HFMD cases tend to be seasonal, and outbreaks of the disease usually start clearing up within a month.
“When many children are exposed to the virus, their immunity level will increase, and the number of cases will go down.
“There will also be interventions, in terms of personal hygiene, the cleanliness of the kindergartens and nurseries and so on,” the health minister said in a press conference in Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah, Alor Setar, Kedah today.
Khairy was there to attend the handing over ceremony for the donation of RM19.3 million worth of medical devices from Japan to Malaysia today.
The Health Ministry revealed last week that 71,471 HFMD cases were recorded as of epidemiology week (ME) 22/2022 (May 30), which was a spike of 28 times compared to the same period last year.
HFMD is a viral disease that occurs mainly in children under 10 years of age but can also affect older children and adults.
At the end of May, 105 preschools and 75 nurseries under the Community Development Department (Kemas) were closed for 10 days due to the rise in HFMD cases.
Immunity levels decreased
Khairy said they have a theory for the HFMD outbreaks, which is natural immunity, as the children have lowered immunity due to not having been exposed to the virus for the past two years.
“This year, we have a theory for the sudden increase (in HFMD cases). One is, of course, that preschools and nurseries are re-opening, but if we compare it to 2019, it is still quite high compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“This is because our children have not gone out for the past two years, so they were not exposed to this virus, which means their immunity levels have decreased,” he said.
While the number of cases may have shot up, he said most of them were not serious cases.
On a separate issue, Khairy gave assurances that Malaysia’s supply of medicine is still stable and that only private health facilities in certain areas are facing some shortages.
“We cannot say this phenomenon (of medicine shortage) is happening throughout the country. It is only in a few places and only involves certain medications only.
“I want to give the assurance that the medicine supply situation in Malaysia is still sufficient.
“We just have to find out specifically where and what medicines are quite low in stock, and we will work with the pharmaceutical companies, whether it is to provide alternative medicine or, if necessary, to import from other countries,” Khairy said.
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