A THREE-YEAR-OLD boy, who developed fever, oral ulcers and rash on Aug 3, has died of suspected Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD), said the Ministry of Health on Thursday.

The patient, a Malay boy, was seen by a general practitioner on the same day.

The boy subsequently developed vomiting on August 4 and was admitted to the KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) on August 6.

He was a student of Elias Kindergarten in Woodlands, which currently has an active HFMD cluster. According to the MOH statement, the kindergarten has been asked to close for 10 days by the Ministry of Education with immediate effect until August 17.

This brings the total number of cases to 17,435 in the first seven months of this year.