IPOH, April 30 ― The Perak Health Department will be stepping up cleanliness checks on food outlets statewide to curb the spread of germs following an outbreak in Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) earlier this year.
State Health Committee chairman A. Sivanesan said the officers on spot checks will not stop at just taking samples from food prepared but will also swab the plates, bowls, cutlery and tables to check their hygiene levels.
He said some eateries may appear clean to the naked eye, “but once you sit down on the serving table, there is a layer of stickiness. Why is that so?”
“This is because the tablecloth used to wipe the table is not clean,” he added, noting that dirty serving tables could lead to the spread of germs.
Perak has been hit by 156 cases of HFMD since January. The viral disease is especially contagious among young children and spreads due to poor hygiene.
Sivanesan said the 156 victims in Perak aged between seven and 17 have since recovered with no complications.
“But for patients with weak immunity system, it could lead to meningitis, encephalitis, cardiorespiratory failure and death.
“There are no vaccines to protect one against HFMD. Maintain self cleanliness to avoid infection,” he added.
The Perak state executive councillor was at SK Pakatan Jaya here to launch a hand washing exercise using hand sanitisers for the Malaysia Book of Records.
A total of 33,588 Year One pupils from 852 schools in Perak participated in the event.
