Published Date: 2010-07-22 10:30:41
Subject: PRO/MBDS> Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand: Phuket, RFI
Archive Number: 20100722.2454
HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE - THAILAND: PHUKET, REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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Date: Tue 20 Jul 2010
Source: Phuket Gazette, Daily News [edited]
http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2010/article8979.html
With more than 70 children in Phuket having contracted
hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) already this year [2010], Phuket City
Municipality has issued an advisory urging parents to be aware of the
highly contagious disease.
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 1st 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 3 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 2 or more children found to have HFMD, and
any schools with 5 or more children diagnosed with the disease should
be closed temporarily.
[Byline: Sitthipong Nongkaew]
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Communicated by:
PRO/MBDS
[Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is caused by viruses of the
enterovirus genus, which includes polioviruses, coxsackieviruses,
echoviruses and enteroviruses. Coxsackievirus A16 is the most common
cause of HFMD, normally a mild disease. Since 1997, outbreaks of HFMD
caused by enterovirus 71 have been reported in Asia and Australia.
There were reported fatal cases of encephalitis caused by enterovirus
71 during outbreaks.
HFMD is a common viral illness of infants and children. It causes
fever and blister-like eruptions in the mouth and/or a skin rash.
Infection is spread from person to person by direct contact with
infectious virus. No vaccine is available to protect against the
enteroviruses that cause HFMD. However, the risk of infection can be
lowered by following good hygiene practices (see
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm).
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 28 (11-17 Jul 2010),
available at http://epid.moph.go.th/?page=prior, the cumulative
number of HFMD cases in Thailand was 8778 cases and one fatality (in
Pattani province) from 1 Jan 2010 to 17 Jul 2010. A total of 91 HFMD
cases were reported from Phuket province. During week 28, there were
in total 175 cases and no deaths reported in the country. No cases
were reported from Phuket during the current week.
According to the Thai Ministry of Public Health, Bureau of
Epidemiology's (BOE) outbreak verification summary, week 28 (11-17
Jul 2010), available in Thai at
http://epid.moph.go.th/wesr/file/y53/F53282.pdf, between 5 Jul and
13 Jul 2010, there was an outbreak of HFMD in a school in Bangkok.
There were 4 cases, all in kindergarten. Currently, the SRRT
(surveillance rapid response team) is investigating and controlling
the outbreak in the area.
The newswire above does not mention the severity of cases so it is
hard to specify the etiologic agent of the current HFMD outbreak;
normally, milder infections are caused by coxsackieviruses, whereas
severe forms of HFMD are caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71). Information
on the virus responsible for the current outbreak in Thailand would
be greatly appreciated.
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/01JO. - Mod.SCM]
See Also
Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand: Chiang Rai, conf. 20080202.0424Undiagnosed rash illness, children - Thailand: Chiang Rai, RFI 20080201.0397
2007
----
Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand (02): RFI 20071123.3792
Hand, foot & mouth disease - Thailand: RFI 20070621.2003
...................................mpp/scm/mj/yma
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