Thailand: Health officials monitor spreading hand, foot, mouth disease

[Shiloh]

Source: http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=11795

Health officials monitor spreading hand, foot, mouth disease

BANGKOK, Sept 13 (TNA) - Health officials are closely monitoring the current spread of hand, foot and mouth disease after nearly 5,000 persons?over 90 per cent children less than age five?contracted the disease during the first eight months of this year, according to Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nop-amornbodi.

As the country is now experiencing the rainy season, children under 10 could easily contract the disease, said Mr. Manit.

The ministry?s Bureau of Epidemiology has reported that three persons died and 4,859 others nationwide suffered from the disease during the first eight months this year, he said.

Children under five?92 per cent of all patients--lack immunity from many diseases, he said.

Mr. Manit said the ministry had notified the Ministry of Education Ministry, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and related agencies asking that child care centres and primary schools throughout the country keep their premises clean and that children be inspected before entering classes in order to prevent the disease from spreading. (TNA)

General News : Last Update : 16:33:58 13 September 2009 (GMT+7:00)

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Thailand: Health officials monitor spreading hand, foot, mouth disease

<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=header1 bgColor=#ff3300 vAlign=bottom>Phuket, Thailand:<SCRIPT language=javascript src="/thaidate.asp"></SCRIPT> Wednesday, July 21, 2010</TD><TD width=9>

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Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Fears of HFMD outbreak in Phuket​

PHUKET: With more than 70 children in Phuket having contracted Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) already this year, Phuket City Municipality has issued an advisory urging parents to beware of the highly contagious malaise.

Nittaya Panchamedithee, an officer at the municipality?s health section, said, ?There is more chance of an outbreak in the rainy season as the virus can live longer when the weather is cool and humid.?

The onset of the rainy season also coincides with the start of the first school semester, which also makes it easy for the virus to spread, she said.

Ms Nittaya urged parents to keep an eye on all children, especially those under three years old and infants.

Indications of the disease include fever, loss of appetite, lethargy, coughing, a sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea. The disease is most often identified by mouth ulcers and rashes on the hands and feet.

Parents whose children exhibit any of these conditions are urged to seek medical treatment as soon as possible, and not to allow their children to go to school, said the release.

Teachers were also urged to be vigilant against an outbreak.

School administrators should suspend any classes with two or more children found to have HFMD, and any schools with five or more children diagnosed with the disease should be closed temporarily.

For more information, call the the Phuket City Municipality Health Department on 076-216929/30.

? Sitthipong Nongkaew​

<TABLE border=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left><TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD vAlign=top align=right>Phuket, Thailand
18:13 local time (GMT +7

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http://www.phuketgazette.net/dailynews/index.asp?id=8979

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Thailand: Health officials monitor spreading hand, foot, mouth disease

Source: http://mbds.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=20100813.2770

HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE - THAILAND (02): PHICHIT
*****************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org


Date: Wed 11 Aug 2010
Source: Chulalongkorn University, Information Center for Emerging
Infectious Diseases [in Thai, trans. Mod.SCM, edited]
http://www.cueid.org/content/view/3853/1/

Today [11 Aug 2010] Dr Peerapong Rothanaphibun, pediatrician in Phichit Hospital, reported on the pandemic that comes with the rainy season and is now epidemic among children, youths, and the very ill. It is hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), caused by viruses that can spread from person to person by direct contact with infectious virus.

The patients admitted to Phichit hospital were children aged 3 to 6 years, nearly 10 cases per day or an average per month of nearly 200 children. Most children were infected in schools.

Indications of the disease include fever, sore throat, mouth ulcers, and rashes on the hands and feet. Parents whose children exhibit any of these symptoms are urged to seek medical treatment as soon as possible and to not allow their children to go to school. School administrators should suspend any classes with 2 or more children found to have HFMD, and the equipment should be cleaned and disinfected.

--Communicated byRO/MBDS

[In late July 2010, there was a report of 175 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) in Phuket (see prior PRO/MBDS posting Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand: Phuket, RFI 20100722.2454).

According to the Thai Ministry of Public Health, Bureau of Epidemiology's (BOE) report on cases and deaths of diseases under surveillance by province, Thailand, week 31 (1-7 Aug 2010), available at http://epid.moph.go.th/?page=prior, the cumulative number of HFMD cases in Thailand was 9694 cases and one death in 2010, which was higher than the number of cases during the same time period in 2009 (5351 cases). The median of cumulative number of cases between 2005 and 2009 was 3705 cases.

However, the number of HFMD cases during week 31, 2010 (89 cases) was less than that reported in 2009 (107 cases). The median of cases during week 31 between 2005 and 2009 was 120 cases. A total of 79 HFMD cases were reported from Phichit province. No cases were reported from Phichit during the current week.

According to the report, infection seems to be mild; only one fatality was reported among 9694 cases of HFMD. It is more likely that the infections are caused by coxsackieviruses rather than enterovirus 71 (EV71).

For maps showing Thailand's provinces, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_of_Thailand. For the interactive HealthMap/ProMED-mail map of Thailand with links to other recent ProMED-mail and PRO/MBDS postings, see http://healthmap.org/r/02lv. - Mod.SCM]

See Also

Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand: Phuket, RFI 20100722.2454
2008
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Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand: Chiang Rai, conf. 20080202.0424
Undiagnosed rash illness, children - Thailand: Chiang Rai, RFI 20080201.0397
2007
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Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand (02): RFI 20071123.3792
Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand: RFI 20070621.2003]
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