Parents urged to look out for HFMD
Open wide: Dr Mohd Izam Othman, a medical officer for the Communicable Disease Control Unit from the Kangar District Health Office inspecting the mouth of Fahril Arrian Mohd Faizudin, at the Taska Anis Day Care centre at Taman Setia Utama, Perlis.
PETALING JAYA: Parents should be vigilant and watch out for signs of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in their children who cannot eat or drink.
A paediatrician in a private hospital in Shah Alam said the concern with the disease was when children could not eat or drink due to severe ulcers in their mouths.
They could subsequently suffer severe dehydration, and delayed treatment could lead to kidney failure or death, said Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail.
“Even in mild symptoms, parents should take their children to a doctor because it could get worse or the disease could infect other organs.
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“If they are very ill, they need to be sent to hospitals to be put on drips to hydrate them and be given other supportive treatment,” he said, adding that there were no antibiotics for HFMD.
Dr Zulkifli said there was also concern that if the enterovirus EV71 infected the base of the brain, causing a disruption to the centre controlling heart rhythm, the child would be excessively lethargic due to respiratory distress and a dilated heart.
On Thursday, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry issued warning letters on the increasing number of HFMD cases on May 9 to all state health departments to step up monitoring efforts.
From June 5 to 11, the number of HFMD cases reported nationwide was 1,379, an increase of 83 cases (6.4%) compared to the week before (1,296).
Dr Hisham said that HFMD was the result of the enterovirus, with the majority caused by the Coxsackie Virus A16 and Enterovirus 71 (EV 71). It is endemic in Malaysia and occurred throughout the year with a cyclical peak once every three years, he said.
Dr Zulkifli said he had not seen anything more than the usual one-to-three HFMD cases per week in the last few weeks but other doctors had reported slightly more cases in the last one month, including in Johor Baru.
Malaysian Medical Association president Dr John Chew said doctors in the Klang Valley had not seen many HFMD cases, but one paediatrician said there could be pockets of infection.
“Doctors have been alerted about taking extra precautions and to put in measures such as isolation and hand hygiene for suspected cases,” he said.
Dr Chew said teachers should send sick children home and keep children from sharing toys or putting them in their mouths, but if they do share the toys, these needed to be disinfected or put in the sun.
He said HFMD affected children mostly below the age of five who contract the disease through direct contact.
Medical practitioners Coalition Association of Malaysia vice-president Dr M. Raj Kumar said he had seen one or two children with HFMD a week in Sepang, mainly in nurseries.
“So far, I have seen only mild ones, such as low grade fever, oral ulcers and blisters on their palms,” he said, adding that parents should avoid kissing and hugging their children who were infected and also to disinfect their clothes.
