Is there an outbreak of the Coxsackie virus in Penang? Media reports today sparked fears over the revisit of the deadly virus but two senior health ministry officials have denied it.

Health Ministry's disease control division director Dr Ramlee Rahmat and Penang health department director Dr Azmi Shapie were both puzzled over the news reports.
"I have no idea whose idea it was to use the Coxsackie virus term in the newspapers," Ramlee said.

He also claimed he was misquoted in the New Straits Times today as saying that three children with the Coxsackie virus have been put under isolation.

Apparently upset with the news, the director quipped that he would like to "run away from the country" to avoid the spread of rumours.

However, in a front-page report in Sin Chew Daily today, the ministry's parliamentary secretary Lee Kah Choon was quoted as saying that there were a few children down with the Coxsackie virus while other news reports quoted Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek as dismissing it.

Sharing the same sentiments with Ramlee, Azmi said that his department has not been notified of any Coxsackie case and that no children from the tsunami relief centre in Penang were involved.

"They are children from three kindergartens in Penang, not four as reported," he told malaysiakini, adding that these children were suspected hand-foot-mouth (HFM) disease cases.

Children warded

"There are not only three children down with the HFM symptoms in the three kindergartens, there are a total of 16 children," said Azmi.

He explained that the three kindergartens have respectively three, five and eight children who developed the HFM symptoms over the past week but he did not name the kindergartens.

He added that most of the children have been warded in private hospitals but was uncertain over their latest condition.

According to him, the three kindergartens advised to close down last week "are back to normal and operating today".

Azmi stressed that the HFM is endemic in Malaysia and "from time to time, children will be hospitalised for suspected HFM cases but not Coxsackie".

Surveillance at kindergartens

He noted that the Health Ministry was carrying out surveillance at kindergartens on HFM and will advise them to take precautionary measures such as temporary closure, if necessary.

"When there are more than two children with HFM symptoms in one kindergarten, we will visit their premises and usually advise them to shut down for a week of 'cleaning up'.

HFM is a viral infection caused by a strain of Coxsackie virus and HFM symptoms include fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, rashes on the hands, feet and mouth.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Environment and Public Health Minister Michael Manyin was reported to have said today that he has not been notified of any suspected Coxsackie cases in the state.

In 1997, the Coxsackie epidemic in Malaysia killed 34 children in Sarawak as the deadly virus can spread from person to person.