Three specialist paediatric clinics located in the towns of Kuching and Sibu in the state of Sarawak actively participated in this study from March 1998. In 2000 we included a fourth specialist clinic in Sibu. Two government polyclinics in Kuching and Sibu also participated as sentinel clinics. All children presenting to the sentinel clinics with a history of oral or other skin lesions typical of HFMD were enrolled into the surveillance study, and throat and rectal swabs were obtained from each child enrolled in the first 18 months. Where possible, swabs were also obtained from mouth ulcers, vesicles and other skin lesions. After a preliminary analysis of data from the first 18 months, the protocol was modified to require only throat swabs from sentinel clinics. Rectal swabs were optional and doctors were requested to provide vesicle swabs whenever possible. Specimens were to be transported on ice to the laboratory in 2 ml of viral transport medium (VTM) where they were vortexed, freeze-thawed and aliquoted.