HFMD clusters detected in daycare, elementary schools in Ilocos region
Healthcare workers conduct an information drive about hand, foot and mouth disease to prevent its spread among pupils in an elementary school in La Union province. (Photo from the Facebook page of Ambitacay Elementary School Agoo La Union)
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte—A rise in the number of cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) was noted in the Ilocos region, with health officials attributing the increase to “clustering of cases” in daycare centers and elementary schools, according to the regional Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
Dr. Rheuel Bobis, regional DOH medical officer, told the Inquirer that their latest data showed 1,170 suspected HFMD cases had been identified in the region since January.
Of these cases, at least 197 were “laboratory confirmed,” he added.
Bobis said the region’s recent surveillance report showed the clustering of cases in different daycare centers and elementary schools in at least 16 towns in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and Pangasinan.
“Most affected age groups are 1-4 and 5-9 years old,” added Bobis.
Amid the rising number of cases, Bobis said the regional DOH has been focusing its surveillance on areas with clusters of cases to halt the spread of the disease.
The health department is also strengthening its information campaign in different regional schools.
Bobis said the DOH and the Department of Education have been in “collaboration” to ensure that preventive actions are well placed in schools, such as “functioning handwashing facilities, regular disinfection of classrooms, and advising pupils [exhibiting] symptoms to isolate.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), HFMD is a “common infectious disease that occurs most often in children, but can also occur in adolescents and occasionally in adults.”
The disease can spread through personal contact with infected people, coughing, and sneezing. The WHO said that common symptoms include fever, painful sores in the mouth, and a rash with blisters on the hands, feet, and buttocks.
In rare cases, an infection can also lead to “more severe symptoms such as meningitis, encephalitis, and polio-like paralysis,” added WHO.
It can be prevented through proper hygiene, which includes hand washing and maintaining a clean environment, the DOH said. INQ
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