SEREMBAN: A pre-school located within a government primary school here was closed temporarily on Thursday (July 19) after three children came down with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), even as the number of such cases in Negri Sembilan continues to rise.

“The pre-school in SK Paroi, which has two classes, will remain closed till July 30,” state health director Dr Zainudin Mohd Ali told The Star on Thursday (July 19).

This brings the number of centres closed so far to three.

From Jan 1 to July 19, about 1,350 cases have been reported in the state, compared with 563 cases during the same period last year.

Dr Zainudin said this represented an increase of 140% in the first 29 weeks of 2018 compared with the same period last year.

He said the pre-schoolers were given outpatient treatment and their condition was stable.

The state Health Department had previously ordered two childcare centres to be shut down temporarily.

Dr Zainuddin said Seremban registered the highest number of HFMD cases in the state with 950, followed by Jempol (102), Port Dickson (75), Rembau (73), Kuala Pilah (63), Jelebu (46) and Tampin (41).

On Thursday (July 19), Penang State Health Committee chairman Dr Afif Bahardin said that the spread of the disease in the state was now “beyond the danger level” and was spreading fast in the more affluent Northeast District of the island.

Of the 2,170 cases recorded this year – a 100.2% spike from the same time last year – 1,090 cases are in the Northeast District where areas like George Town, Pulau Tikus, Tanjung Bungah and Batu Ferringhi are.

HFMD is infectious, especially among children in daycare centres and kindergartens.

The virus spreads when it comes in contact with saliva, blisters and stools of patients, and most of the infections are mild with symptoms of fever and blisters on the hand, foot, mouth and tongue.