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KUALA LUMPUR: Parents must act as "gate-keepers" to make sure that children infected with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) do not go to school but are instead quarantined, said Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad on Thursday (Jul 26).
He said this will help curb the spread of the disease, which is easily spread by contact with saliva.
"The number of HFMD cases that is spreading is scary but if we can resolve this problem through gate-keeping at the entry points of the schools, this could solve the problem more effectively,"
he said at the closing ceremony of a health convention.
The HFMD outbreak, which was previously reported among schoolchildren in Penang, Kedah and Pahang had started to spread in Kuala Lumpur.
According to Health Ministry records, 35,886 cases have been recorded throughout the country between Jan 1 and Jul 23 this year.
[Source: Channel NewsAsia - "Malaysia health minister proposes 'gate-keeping' to check HFMD"]