Debated in Parliament on 19 Nov 2018.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the number of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease infections are on the uptrend; and (b) whether current efforts to break their transmission need to be improved.
The reported cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) fluctuate from year to year, as shown in Table 1 below.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) works closely with the Ministry of Education (MOE), Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the People’s Association (PA) to educate and assist preschools to curb and control the spread of HFMD. We provide guidance on personal and environmental hygiene and inspect preschools with large clusters to help them identify gaps. We also provide infection control guidelines to all preschools and work with them to remind parents to play their part by keeping their children home to rest if their children have symptoms of HFMD, such as fever, mouth ulcers and rashes on the palms, soles or buttocks.
During the peak months this year from March to May and July to August, we reminded preschools to be more vigilant in screening children with HFMD symptoms and ensure high personal and environmental hygiene standards. ECDA also stepped up on health visits to preschools with ongoing transmission.
MOH will continue to regularly review our policies and response measures with respect to the control of HFMD transmission.
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