Written by: Averroes
(1.0) What is the Hands, Face, Mouth Disease (HFMD) (symptoms)?
The HFMD originates from a virus known as the coxsackievirus a16 and enterovirus 71. It is mainly seen in the United States during the autumn season and a tropical climate such as Malaysia, that emerges year-round.
So far, there has been 1000 HFMD cases are reported per week, since mid-May in Malaysia. The KPJ Specialist Hospital paediatric and neonatology specialist Dr Ismail Haron said that the disease could be transmitted through sharing of utensils, toys, towels and blankets.
HFMD is a mild disease, with patients experiencing fever, rashes on the hands, feet, mouth or tongue and may exacerbate if not managed duly. The child could also have problems when eating and drinking. If all these signs are apparent, they need to be admitted to the hospital.
The adverse effects may also cover symptoms of respiratory tract, vomiting and diarrhea. Physically, there will be sores known as ulcers internally inside the child's mouth too.
However, if the child still has appetite and can still consume nutrition and hydrate, it is not necessary for them to be hospitalised.
(1.1) How it spreads?
The premises or venue which is the most prone are kindergartens, preschools and houses. The majority of children that have caught HFMD are mostly below six years old. The virus carrying the HFMD is located in fluids of the infected child, that may spread through saliva, mucus of nose or lungs, fluids from blisters or scabs and feces.
The way that the fluid spreads is from coughing, sneezing, close contact such as physical touch and sharing of items and changing diapers.
(2.0) What has the Malaysian government done
According to the Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, he stated that prevention and monitoring measures conducted by health district officers were inspecting premises, closing premises, disinfecting premises, clinical samplings, health education and town hall meeting session.
151 town hall sessions were held, with 25% of them surrounding registered pre-schools, kindergarten and nurseries. This would mean that it constitutes 5,866 out of the 23,505 registered premises.
In addition, other measures including efforts to reduce cases by solidifying surveillance activities, raising awareness among the community and improving teamwork between multiple agencies. Due to this increasing disease, the COVID-19 pandemic has trained and prepared Malaysia for the next wave.
The MySejahtera would also be implemented to track hot spot areas with the HFMD outbreaks.
(3.0) What should we do?
Children are caught with HFMD for usually between 7-10 days. There is no known cure or vaccine for the disease. There are other practical ways to handle this disease.
Parents were reminded to isolate their children who contracted the HFMD. Parents also have the responsibility to make sure that HFMD children are not within contacts of others, not sending them to care centres or even public places.
To contain the spread of HFMD, we need to maintain good personal hygiene, by washing our hands regularly and wear masks. Especially children, they tend to insert their hands into their mouth, which contributes to the contagion of the disease and their physical interactions with their environment.
Tell the children to close their mouths when sneezing, clean their toys and room. Teach them how to properly manage themselves in the bathroom and train them to become independent.
Possible tools that we may apply are pain relievers, mouth sprays, cold treats such as ice cream, yogurt, smoothies to soothe the throat, but avoid juice and soda. We can also apply anti-itch lotion to the areas of irritation.
(4.0) References;
Adib Povera & Teh Athira Yusof. (May, 2022) Khairy: District health officers actively working to prevent spread of HFMD [NSTTV]. Retrieved from, https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/05/799749/khairy-district-health-offices-actively-working-prevent-spread-hfmd-nsttv
MayoClinic. (n.d) Hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Retrieved from, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hand-foot-and-mouth-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353035#:~:text=Hand%2Dfoot%2Dand%2Dmouth%20disease%20%E2%80%94%20a%20mild%2C,foot%2Dand%2Dmouth%20disease.
Ellis, R. (March, 2022) Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD). Retrieved from, https://www.webmd.com/children/guide/hand-foot-mouth-disease
Nation. (May, 2022) Children with HFMD must be isolated. Retrieved from, https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/05/25/children-with-hfmd-must-be-isolated
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