Health office urges public to report HFMD cases in Bacolod

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY – The City Health Office (CHO) is urging the public to report hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) cases for proper accounting and monitoring.

The CHO has coordinated with the Department of Education (DepEd), particularly with school medical officers, to track HFMD cases across local schools.

In a recent media interview, Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environment and Sanitation Division, said Bacolod recorded 78 HFMD cases from Jan. 1 to July 12.

This is a 239% increase compared to the 23 cases reported during the same period last year.

Tan said the current count is based on official data submitted by doctors and hospitals, along with case investigation forms provided to the CHO.

She noted that the actual number of cases could be higher, as not all are formally reported.

“It has to be documented,” Tan emphasized.

Barangay Villamonte recorded the highest number of cases with 12, followed by Barangay Estefania with nine, Barangay Mansilingan with eight, and six each in Barangays Singcang-Airport, Tangub, and Cabug.

Barangay Granada reported five cases; Vista Alegre, four; and three each in Banago, Alijis, and Mandalagan.

The majority of cases—64 out of 78—were among children aged one to 10.

Of those, 36 were female and 28 were male.

Tan said the CHO is regularly posting advisories on social media as part of its information and awareness campaign.

She said the posts help educate the public about what HFMD is, how it spreads, and how to prevent it.

She also confirmed that schools have pledged to continue monitoring cases at the school level.