Parents with their young children (PNA photo by Ben Briones)
MANILA – The public are advised to take precaution against hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) amid the increased in cases reported in Metro Manila and some parts of the country.
Infectious diseases expert Dr. Rontgene Solante said parents should make sure their children regularly wash hands as a preventive measure since there are no medical treatment nor vaccine against HFMD.
"Ang pinaka-importanteng prevention dito ay maghugas. Walang gamot ito dahil this is a viral infection (The most important prevention here is washing hands. There is no medicine for this because this is a viral infection)," he said in a Laging Handa briefing Thursday.
Common HFMD symptoms include fever, painful sores in the mouth, and a rash with blisters on hand, feet and buttocks.
But more severe symptoms such as meningitis, encephalitis and polio-like paralysis could also manifest, according to the World Health Organization.
In case of vomiting, Solante said parents should admit their children to the hospital for monitoring.
While there have been some 155 HFMD cases in Metro Manila as of October, there is no basis to declare an outbreak yet, the Department of Health said.
An outbreak could only be declared if the disease is also spreading in regions or areas near the region, if the cases doubled from last year's figures, or if hospitals are overwhelmed with HFMD cases, Solante said.
"At this point, 'yong 155 cases hindi natin masasabing need to declare outbreak (the 155 is not yet a reason to declare an outbreak)," he said. (PNA)
