The city health agency recorded last November some 30 cases of infants suffering from the contagious hand, foot and mouth disease.

Deputy head of the agency Ruhul Aflah said that the disease, which has been dubbed in several countries as a lethal one, was mostly discovered in the city's upmarket housing estates, such as the Pondok Indah area.

She added that all of the recorded 30 cases had been found in middle- and upper-income neighborhoods and there were no reports that the disease had yet infected children from poor families.

The disease is usually found in cows and other farm animals. Adults can also be infected by the disease, but children under the age of five are especially susceptible.

The incubation period of the disease is from three to seven days. "The ailing child can be treated at home, meaning that the sick person does not have to stay in hospital as long as he has adequate time to rest, enough nutrition and vitamin C. The child should also see a doctor for a routine checkup," Ruhul said.