ILOILO – This province recorded 532 additional cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) in just a span of one week or from Feb. 4 to 11.
The new cases were from the towns of Santa Barbara (136), Alimodian (32), Calinog (36), Barotac Viejo (12), Badiangan (15), Mina (49), Bingawan (nine), Sara (74), Passi City (18), Banate (19), Tigbauan (32), Pototan (10), Pavia (seven), Dumangas (five), Lemery (five), Barotac Nuevo (six), Zarraga (eight), Lambunao (12), San Rafael (eight), Miag-ao (16), Cabatuan (three), Anilao (four), San Miguel (five), Tubungan (one), Janiuay (five), New Lucena (nine), Dueñas (two), Maasin (one), Leganes (one), San Enrique (one), and San Joaquin (one).
The province now has a total of 1,647 HFMD cases from Jan. 1 to Feb. 11 – 2,395 percent higher than the 66 cases recorded in the same period last year.
Santa Barbara town has the highest cumulative cases at 236, followed by Alimodian (109), Calinog (95), Barotac Viejo (94), Badiangan (93), Mina (76), Bingawan (74), Sara (74), Passi City (66), and Banate (61).
Here are the remaining cases per town: Tigbauan (61), Pototan (51), Leon (49), Pavia (49), Dumangas (48), Lemery (43), Barotac Nuevo (42), Zarraga (40), San Dionisio (35), Lambunao (33), Igbaras (32), San Rafael (30), Miag-ao (19), Cabatuan (18), Anilao (17), San Miguel (17), Oton (15), Tubungan (13), Janiuay (13), New Lucena (13), Batad (11), Balasan (nine), Duenas (five), Maasin (two), Leganes (two), San Enrique (one), and San Joaquin (one).
Still, the most affected age group is one to 10 years old with 1,500 cases.
Cases for other age groups are the following:
* less than one year old – 112 cases
* 11 to 20 years old – 27 cases
* 31 to 40 years old – five cases
* 41 years old and above – one case
On Monday, Feb. 13, Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) head, Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, confirmed an outbreak of HFMD in the province.
An outbreak is an epidemic limited to a localized increase in disease incidence. An epidemic, on the other hand, refers to the occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behaviors, or other health-related events exceeding normal expectancy.
How to avoid HFMD?
“Prevention is better than cure. So dapat maghugas sang kamot, ipabilin nga malimpyo ang palibot kag ang katinlu sang lawas,” said Colmenares-Quiñon.
Avoid borrowing things used by persons with HFMD, she added, and cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing.
The IPHO head also reminded not to take the disease for granted because it is highly contagious, especially for those who do not practice proper hygiene.
HFMD is characterized by painful sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. Commonly caused by the coxsackievirus, this contagious infection occurs mostly in children.
HFMD may cause all of the following signs and symptoms or just some of them:
* fever
* sore throat
* feeling unwell
* painful, red, blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks
* a red rash, without itching but sometimes with blistering, on the palms, soles, and sometimes the buttocks
* irritability in infants and toddlers
* loss of appetite./PN
