Negros Occidental HFMD cases up 246.44%

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines —  The province of Negros Occidental reported 828 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) this year, affecting mostly children aged one year to 10 years.

The figure is 246.44 percent higher than the 239 cases reported during the same period last year, data from the provincial health office showed.

E.B. Magalona Mayor Matthew Louis Malacon yesterday suspended classes at the E.B. Magalona Elementary School and Nanca Elementary School as well as in all child development centers. The suspension will remain in effect until today.

During the two-day suspension, classes will shift to alternative delivery mode using the emergency learning kit, Malacon said.

Provincial health officer Girlie Pinongan said the town of E.B. Magalona, which reported 16 cases, was not among 10 local government units (LGUs) that recorded higher HFMD cases.

However, local health authorities noted a clustering of HFMD cases in some schools and daycare centers, prompting LGUs to conduct a simultaneous cleanup drive to prevent the spread of the disease.

HFMD is a common illness that usually causes fever, mouth sores and skin rashes. It can spread quickly in schools and daycare centers. Most patients heal on their own within seven to 10 days.

While symptoms may include fever, sore throat, mouth blisters and rashes in the hands and feet, complications from HFMD are rare, according to health authorities.

Pinongan said HFMD is a viral disease that spreads through contact with droplets produced when an infected person sneezes, coughs or speaks, as well as with objects and surfaces that have virus particles, fluid from blisters and feces.

Bacolod City recorded 56 HFMD cases from January to June 28. Of the cases, 44 were children.

No fatality has so far been attributed to HFMD, according to local health officials.