Hand, foot and mouth disease reported in Cebu City

CEBU, Philippines - Ten years after Cebu City recorded its last case of hand-foot-and-mouth disease in the city, health officials have reported another case, this time victimizing a six-year-old boy from barangay Capitol Site, Cebu City.

Hand-foot and mouth disease became controversial in Manila last year when TV host and President Benigno Aquino’s sister, Kris, and her children were diagnosed with the contagious disease.

Many are confused between the hand, foot and mouth disease with the foot-and-mouth disease affecting sheep, cattle, and swine.

The hand, foot and mouth disease is caused by intestinal viruses of the Picornaviridae family that usually affects infants and children, and is quite common.

 It is moderately contagious and is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, or feces of an infected person. It typically occurs usually during summer.

Dr. Sherwin Isma, the public doctor in-charge at barangay Capitol Site and its adjacent barangays, said the child was confined at the Sacred Heart Hospital for a couple of days, but he is already cured of the illness.

Durinda Macasocol, assistant head of the City Epidemiology Surveillance and Statistics Unit, said the last time that Cebu City had a case of hand-foot-and-mouth-disease was in 2001.

The disease is characterized by sores in the mouth and rashes in the hands and feet.

Dr. Isma explained that the common symptoms of hand-foot-and-mouth disease include fever, sore throat, malaise, blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks, blistery rash on palms and soles and loss of appetite.

“Tagsa ra g’yud hinoon kaayo ang mamatay niining maong sakit pero manakud man gud ni pinaagi sa ubo kay virus man ni,” Isma said. — (FREEMAN)