GEORGE TOWN, April 18 — Penang has seen a spike in hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) by recording 579 new cases between April 6 and 12, an increase of 353 cases compared to the previous week.

State health committee chairman Daniel Gooi said four new clusters were also reported in the same period.

“We believe the increase in cases were after the recent Aidilfitri holiday season,” he said in a statement released today.

This year, Penang has seen a 421 per cent increase in HFMD cases as at April 12 when compared to the same period last year.

A total 4,585 cases were reported between January 1 and April 12 this year compared to only 879 cases for the same period last year.

Gooi said Central Seberang Perai recorded the highest number of cases at 1,362 to be followed by South Seberang Perai at 884 cases, northeast district on the island at 852 cases, south-west district on the island at 845 cases and North Seberang Perai at 642 cases.

However, he said majority of the cases were only displaying mild symptoms and were not serious.

“This morning, I chaired a special meeting with the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah), Penang Educational Institution Operators Association and Penang state health department to discuss the spread of HFMD in the state,” he said.

He said the operators have voiced several challenges in managing HFMD cases and as a follow up, the state health department will analyse the effectiveness of the existing operations.

He called on all parents to take precautionary measures to reduce the risks of the spread of HFMD including keeping the cleanliness of their premises, washing their hands frequently, not sending their children to daycare or school if they have symptoms, bring their children for medical treatment if they showed symptoms such as fever and rash on their hands, foot and mouth and not taking their children to crowded places if they have signs of HFMD symptoms.

He also urged daycare and early childhood centre operators to conduct screening of children at the entry of their premises, disinfect all surfaces and report any clusters to the nearest health district office.