KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Malaysia has recorded 31,661 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) — 15 times the amount that was recorded within the same period last year.

Last year, the country only recorded 2,121 in the same epidemiology week report.

Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham in a statement today said 1,676 HFMD cases were recorded in the previous epidemiology week report compared to this week’s staggering 7,526 cases which is a 349 per cent increase.

"In 2022, until May 14, Selangor contributed the largest number of cases compared to other states with 8,864 cases (28 per cent) followed by Kuala Lumpur & Putrajaya 4,421 cases (14 per cent), Sabah 2,650 cases (8 per cent), Perak 2,638 cases (8 per cent) and Kelantan 2,493 cases (7.9 per cent) while other states around or less than 1,500 cases,” he said.

He said that a total of 889 outbreaks were reported in Malaysia where the three highest states with recorded outbreaks were Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya which is 309 outbreaks (35 per cent), followed by Selangor with 111 outbreaks (12 per cent), and Perak 105 outbreaks (12 per cent).

Dr Noor Hisham said that the majority of outbreak locations occurred in kindergartens/ nurseries/ pre-schools with 575 outbreaks (65 per cent) followed by private homes with 305 outbreaks (34 per cent), and also childcare centres with 27 outbreaks (three per cent).

He said that HFMD is related to personal hygiene and able to rapidly spread within kids below 10 years of age with 100 per cent infection rate.

Rise in dengue cases

The ministry also reported a 45.2 per cent increase of dengue cases with 14,725 cumulative cases compared to 10,139 cases in the same period last year.

Dr Noor Hisham also said that Malaysia recorded nine deaths from dengue cases which is four more compared to 2021.

"Terengganu recorded the highest increase in the percentage of cases with 164.7 per cent, followed by Labuan 150 per cent, Kedah 137.8 per cent, Negri Sembilan 71.4 per cent, Selangor 42.6 per cent, Sabah 40.8 per cent, Kelantan 27.1 per cent, Perak 26.4 per cent, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya 14.3 per cent, Sarawak 13.7 per cent, and Penang 3.4 per cent, while in the states of Perlis, Melaka, Johor, and Pahang recorded a decrease in the percentage of cases compared to 2021,” he said.