HFMD scare
WITH the dreaded COVID-19 still terrorizing people across the globe, the outbreak of another highly-contagious disease in impoverished Philippines is, without doubt, disturbing and saddening.
But very quickly, government authorities, through the Department of Health (DOH), came out with measures aimed at preventing the spread of the “Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD).”
And health authorities have already started the epidemiological investigation to find the source of the outbreak in San Pascual, Batangas, according to DOH Regional Director Ariel Valencia.
Likewise, the DOH regional office has sent specimens to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Metropolitan Manila to determine the “causative agent.”
The DOH-Calabarzon Regional Office said it recorded 105 cases with “clinical symptoms” of HFMD from September 26 to October 16, but only 49 cases fit the suspect HFMD case definition.
The disease, which is transmitted through droplets or direct contact with nasal discharges, saliva and feces, has affected a hundred residents, mostly school children, in 11 barangays.
HFMD commonly affects young children. Symptoms include fever, painful mouth sores and rashes and blisters on the hands, feet and buttocks, according to the World Health Organization.
Health authorities told parents and guardians to teach their children protective habits like frequent handwashing, wearing of a mask, and covering the mouth when sneezing.
There’s no treatment for HFMD, but good personal hygiene, regular cleaning and disinfecting of common areas and avoiding close contact with an HFMD patient reduce a child’s risk of infection.
In the interest of a healthy population, the public ought to support government efforts to prevent the spread of highly-contagious diseases, such as COVID-19, TB and HFMD.
