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HFMD Confirmed In Mal? Schools
By Aiman Mohamed
May 27, 2007
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More than thirty cases of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HMFD) have been confirmed in pre-schools across Male' in the past two weeks.
The non-fatal disease, which is spread by contact with infected body fluids, spreads rapidly in unclean public spaces. In the past HMFD epidemics have led to the closure of Mal? schools for two weeks.
Confirmed Cases
"We have received 10 confirmed reports of HFMD. We called parents on their child's absence and they told us that their children have been diagnosed with HFMD," says Zuleikha Ali, Pre-school Head teacher of Ameer Ahmed School.
Mohamed Zubair, Headmaster of Galholhu Madhrasa says even though the school has not received official reports, absentees have been high in pre-school in the past two weeks.
"Some pre-schoolers who have recovered have started attending this week," he says.
The moderately contagious illness has not yet been reported at any primary or secondary schools, but all are monitoring the situation closely.
"We have not had any reports of HFMD yet. On Thursday, teachers were asked to look into the matter, but no reported cases yet. The Health Room records do not show HFMD either," says Rahma Abdul Rahman, Assistant Principal of Iskandhar school.
Government Waiting
Ibrahim Shaheem of the Department of Public Health told Miadhu thirty suspected cases had been seen on Thursday. Shaheen said he could not confirm whether it was HFMD at this stage. When Minivan News contacted Mr Shaheen, he refused to answer questions before hanging up.
Despite the cases confirmed at Ameer Ahmed school, the Ministry of Education says its has not received any reports of HFMD. Mohamed Saeed, a Director, did confirm Mal? schools have had to be closed for two weeks during a previous epidemic.
In the absence of preventative measures from the government, individual schools are having to take matters into their own hands.
"We are preparing information leaflets on HFMD to distribute to the parents", said Zuleikha Ali of Ameer Ahmed school.
Rahma Abdul Rahman, Assistant Principal of Iskandhar School says that if cases are reported, students would be asked to consult a doctor and asked to stop coming to school.
"In such cases, we have previously asked parents to consult a doctor and not to send the student to school. Once the student returns to school, the Health Assistant does a check up of the student", she says.
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HFMD is spread by virus from person to person though bodily fluids. The illness is common in infants and children under the age of ten. It is characterized by fever, sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters.
Although no specific vaccine exists for the disease, HFMD is a mild infection and nearly all patients recover without medical treatment in seven to ten days.
If a child is displaying symptoms, they should be taken to a doctor for diagnosis and avoid public spaces until the infection has passed.
By Aiman Mohamed
May 27, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
More than thirty cases of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HMFD) have been confirmed in pre-schools across Male' in the past two weeks.
The non-fatal disease, which is spread by contact with infected body fluids, spreads rapidly in unclean public spaces. In the past HMFD epidemics have led to the closure of Mal? schools for two weeks.
Confirmed Cases
"We have received 10 confirmed reports of HFMD. We called parents on their child's absence and they told us that their children have been diagnosed with HFMD," says Zuleikha Ali, Pre-school Head teacher of Ameer Ahmed School.
Mohamed Zubair, Headmaster of Galholhu Madhrasa says even though the school has not received official reports, absentees have been high in pre-school in the past two weeks.
"Some pre-schoolers who have recovered have started attending this week," he says.
The moderately contagious illness has not yet been reported at any primary or secondary schools, but all are monitoring the situation closely.
"We have not had any reports of HFMD yet. On Thursday, teachers were asked to look into the matter, but no reported cases yet. The Health Room records do not show HFMD either," says Rahma Abdul Rahman, Assistant Principal of Iskandhar school.
Government Waiting
Ibrahim Shaheem of the Department of Public Health told Miadhu thirty suspected cases had been seen on Thursday. Shaheen said he could not confirm whether it was HFMD at this stage. When Minivan News contacted Mr Shaheen, he refused to answer questions before hanging up.
Despite the cases confirmed at Ameer Ahmed school, the Ministry of Education says its has not received any reports of HFMD. Mohamed Saeed, a Director, did confirm Mal? schools have had to be closed for two weeks during a previous epidemic.
In the absence of preventative measures from the government, individual schools are having to take matters into their own hands.
"We are preparing information leaflets on HFMD to distribute to the parents", said Zuleikha Ali of Ameer Ahmed school.
Rahma Abdul Rahman, Assistant Principal of Iskandhar School says that if cases are reported, students would be asked to consult a doctor and asked to stop coming to school.
"In such cases, we have previously asked parents to consult a doctor and not to send the student to school. Once the student returns to school, the Health Assistant does a check up of the student", she says.
---
HFMD is spread by virus from person to person though bodily fluids. The illness is common in infants and children under the age of ten. It is characterized by fever, sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters.
Although no specific vaccine exists for the disease, HFMD is a mild infection and nearly all patients recover without medical treatment in seven to ten days.
If a child is displaying symptoms, they should be taken to a doctor for diagnosis and avoid public spaces until the infection has passed.
