The number of Hand, Foot and Mouth Diseases (HFMD) cases in Singapore dropped slightly by 9 percent last week over the week before, said the Health Ministry on Tuesday.

There were 665 cases reported for the week ending May 31, down from the 729 cases in the previous week, figures from the ministry showed.

So far, more then 14,000 HFMD cases have been reported in Singapore this year.

The ministry also said its surveillance continues to show a high circulation of the EV-71 virus which causes HFMD.

About 32 percent of the samples this year tested positive for the virus.

Last week, three preschools and childcare centers were ordered to close for a period of ten days due to the extent of outbreak, while another three preschools and childcare centers with sustained transmission were advised by the ministry to consider voluntary closure for ten days.

(Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2008)