Another 702 cases reported last week, of which 60% involve those under five
Judith Tan, Straits Times 2 Apr 08;
PRIMARY schools have joined kindergartens and childcare centres in stepping up health checks on pupils as the number of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases here continues to rise.
The checks are part of stepped-up efforts by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to stem the spread of the disease after another 702 cases were reported last week. That brings the total number of cases to 4,423 so far this year. Last year, Singapore had 20,005 cases - the highest annual figure so far.
About 60 per cent of patients this time round are children under five years old. A total of 57 children have been warded since the start of this year for not eating well, according to MOH, but none is in a serious condition.
The rise in cases is worrying to the health authorities, which said a potentially deadly strain of HFMD called Enterovirus 71 (EV71) was found in a 'higher' number of patients. Officials did not specify how many people have been infected with the virus.
EV71 has been known to cause infections in the brain, heart and lungs. During an outbreak in 2000 and 2001, the same strain killed more than 70 children in Asia, including seven in Singapore.
One school that has heightened its checks is Greenridge Primary.
Mr Suresh Balakrishnan, head of pupil development and management, told The Straits Times the screenings at the school have 'become more stringent'.
'Teachers do visual checks on every pupil at the start of the school day and should any child feel unwell, he will be sent to the general office, isolated in the sick bay and parents informed,' he said.
HFMD is a common childhood ailment that causes ulcers, rashes and blisters, and can infect adults.
It is spread via blister fluid, saliva, faeces and, occasionally, droplets from one's breath.
A check with National University Hospital found two children had been treated for the disease but were not hospitalised.
A spokesman for KK Women's and Children's Hospital said 54 children had been admitted since the start of the year. Most were warded because they were not eating, but they did not have more serious problems like difficulty in breathing or swelling in the brain, she said.
In an earlier interview with The Straits Times, Dr Chan Kwai Peng, head virologist at Singapore General Hospital, said there is no vaccine against the viruses. Preventing the spread is done by interrupting transmission.
In view of this, MOH is working with the ministries of Education and Community Development, Youth & Sports to step up efforts to limit the spread of the disease.
Doctors have been asked to look out for children with signs of the disease and to send patients with symptoms of lung, heart and brain infections to hospital immediately.
Mrs Ginny Loong, 34, a mother of a three-year-old boy and an 18-month-old girl, said she is not worried about her kids catching the disease at childcare centres.
'They have checks in place. Rather, I worry about parents who let their sick children into public playgrounds. The viruses could also spread that way,' she said.
An MOH spokesman said parents should keep children with HFMD at home until all blisters have dried up.
They should also consult a doctor as soon as possible if their child has fever, mouth ulcers and rashes on the palms, soles or buttocks.
