‘WASH YOUR HANDS’: City Health Office Urges Hygiene As Suspect HFMD Cases Rise

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

The Iloilo City Health Office (ICHO) on Tuesday, Jan. 21, urged the public to maintain proper hygiene following a rise in suspected Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases, with nine reported this year.

Dr. Jan Reygine Ansino-Hortinela, Medical Officer III of the Iloilo City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, said one new case was logged as of Jan. 20, adding to three recoveries and five active cases recorded from Jan. 1 to 18.

The most affected age group is children under one year old, who account for the majority of cases.

This year’s cases reflect a slight increase compared to seven HFMD cases recorded in the same period last year.

Most cases originated from Arevalo district (4), followed by Mandurriao (3) and Molo (2).

HFMD is transmitted through secretions such as saliva and colds. Initial symptoms typically include fever and loss of appetite due to mouth sores.

“For a child to be suspected [with HFMD], usually they manifest at first with fever, then they would lack appetite because their mouths are full of sores. These [sores] are reddish and they start small, and gradually expand,” Ansino-Hortinela explained.

“They are called [HFMD] because these are seen in the mouth area, in the palms, and the foot of our youngsters. [It is] not necessary that they need to be in the mouth, foot, and palms [at the same time]. It can start in the mouth or the hands,” she added.

Children under one year old are the most affected because they tend to put their hands in their mouths, Ansino-Hortinela said.

ICHO head Dr. Annabelle Tang noted that the cases are still subject to confirmatory testing by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City.

Tang also said that while HFMD cases are still low in number, they are already alarmed due to the prevalence of the disease among infants and children.

“It is already a cause of alarm for us because the most affected are the children. It would be difficult for them to eat. They will end up malnourished. They get dehydrated,” Tang said.

Tang advised that the public should observe proper hygiene and approach their health center at the earliest time when symptoms manifest.

“We are seeking to send out the advisory [on proper] hygiene, frequent handwashing, physical distance from children with lesions. We also strongly recommend to schools that if they have students that are manifesting such [symptoms], if possible to stop them from going to school and [have them] seek early consultation,” she said.