KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 -- A total of 47,209 hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases have been reported nationwide from the beginning of this year up to May 21, according to the Health Ministry (MoH).

In a statement today, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah pointed out that this was a 20 time increase in cases compared to the same timeframe of the first 20 epidemiological (epi) week, last year.

Only 2,237 cases of HFMD were recorded up to epi week 20 of last year.

'Meanwhile, nationwide cases reported in epi week 20 of 2022 numbered 15,548, compared to 7,526 cases in epi week 19 of 2022, which is an increase of 106.6 per cent.

'The increase in cases in epi week 20 was expected following travels by Malaysians during...