ILOILO – Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. would not declare a state of calamity despite an outbreak of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD).
The province now has 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.
Defensor said there is no need to declare such since the provincial government could execute protocols without declaring a state of calamity.
“Ang declaration sang state of calamity may use ina. So far, we don’t need the state of calamity; kay halimbawa sa pundo, wala man kita sang price regulation nga kinahanglan,” explained Defensor.
The governor said the provincial government could augment the needs of affected municipalities such as disinfectants for daycare centers and other facilities children commonly stay in.
He also shared that he is drafting an executive order for HFMD protocols focused on implementing “Prevent, Detect, Isolation, Treat, Reintegration” (PDITR) of the Department of Health.
“Mabalik kita sa ‘Prevent, Detect, Isolation, Treat, Reintegration’ which is now being executed sa aton municipal level,” he said.
HMFD in the province is at an epidemic level but Defesor said, “We will continue to fight.”
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.
According to Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, head of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO), the number of cases indicating the presence of an epidemic varies according to the agent, size, type of population exposed, previous experience or lack of exposure to the disease, and time and place of occurrence.
In HFMD Morbidity Week No. 1, the province logged 119 cases; Morbidity Week No. 2 (172 cases); Morbidity Week No. 3 (284 cases); Morbidity Week No. 4 (333 cases); and Morbidity Week No. 5 (207 cases).
“Gin-compute naton in the last five years ang aton alert and epidemic threshold. Of course, na-breach gid ‘ya with the number of cases now,” Colmenares-Quiñon further explained.
The IPHO defines an alert threshold as the level of disease occurrence that serves as an early warning for an epidemic, while an epidemic threshold is the level of disease occurrence above which an urgent response is required.
Colmenares-Quiñon also clarified that the 1,647 HFMD cases could all be recovered.
She explained that HFMD lasts from seven to 10 days for an infected person with a strong immune system and clean hygiene.
“Self-limiting ‘ni sia, meaning madula man lang sa system sang tawo or bata, especially kon manami ang immune system response. So in seven to 10 days, maayo or recovered na,” said the IPHO head.
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.
The towns with the highest cumulative cases of HFMD this year are Santa Barbara (100), Barotac Viejo (82), Badiangan (78), Alimodian (77), Calinog (69), Bingawan (65), Leon (49), Passi City (48), Dumangas (43), and Pavia (42).
The remaining cumulative cases per town were from Banate (42), Pototan (41), Lemery (38), Barotac Nuevo (36), San Dionisio (35), Zarraga (32), Igbaras (32), Tigbauan (29), Mina (27), San Rafael (22), Lambunao (21), Oton (15), Cabatuan (15), Anilao (13), San Miguel (12), Tubungan (12), Batad (11), Balasan (nine), Janiuay (eight), New Lucena (four), Dueñas (three), Miag-ao (three), Leganes (one), and Maasin (one).
Nine towns had zero cases: Dingle, Ajuy, Carles, Concepcion, Estancia, Guimbal, San Enrique, San Joaquin, and Sara.
The most affected age groups are:
* less than one year old – 66 cases
* one to 10 years old – 1,023 cases
* 11 to 20 years old – 20 cases
* 21 to 30 years old – one case
* 31 to 40 years old – four cases
* 41 years old and above – one case
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
