KOTA KINABALU: Authorities have detected 18 cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) among pre-schoolers at Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kiau in Kampung Kiau, Kota Belud.
In a statement, state Health and People’s Wellbeing minister Stephen Wong said Sabah’s Health Department has ordered the school shut for 10 days, starting yesterday.
He said the school will undergo a cleansing process during that period.
“On July 10, the Kota Belud health office received three notifications of the disease. Verification was made and two cases were (determined to involve) SK Kiau pre-schoolers.
“The duo had ulcers on their mouths, hands and feet. Further screening revealed 11 other people, including six pre-schoolers (also from SK Kiau) and five members of a family were positive for the disease.
“By July 12, seven more individuals (tested positive for HFMD), which made it a total of 18 cases at Kampung Kiau,” Wong added.
He said the state Health Department will continue to take measures to prevent the spread of the disease.