7 Filipinos being tested for HFMD, says DOH

MANILA, Philippines—Seven Filipinos were suspected of contracting hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) as Asia grapples with the deadly virus, the Department of Health said Wednesday.

In a text message to INQUIRER.net, DOH epidemiologist Dr. Eric Tayag said their specimens were still being analysed.

“No complete results yet,” he said.

Tayag earlier confirmed that two children had tested positive for Enterovirus 71, but added that further tests were being conducted by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine to determine whether the virus that struck them is the same strain that killed at least 54 children in Cambodia.

With the two children both in good conditions, Tayag said the public should not be alarmed. He said that the type of enterovirus that hit the two children were not fatal and is “self-limiting.”

Hand, foot and mouth disease is contagious and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids or faeces of an infected person. Experts say good hygiene is the best form of prevention. With Agence France-Presse