THE Bacolod City Council has approved a resolution urging the City Health Office (CHO) through Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez to take urgent action and implement stricter measures to prevent hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) following the recent drastic increase in cases.
The resolution was authored by Councilor Em Ang, chairperson of the City Council committee on history, art and culture.
Ang said the HFMD is a common viral illness usually affecting infants and children but can affect adults.
The infection usually involves the hands, feet, mouth, and sometimes, even the genitals and buttocks.
She said intensified information and educational campaigns in different barangays and places where children are most frequented, such as daycare centers, schools, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, and other immediate measures and interventions must be taken to prevent the further spread of HFMD.
CHO records showed Bacolod City had a total of 28 HFMD cases from January to February 8.
Of the 28 cases, Barangays Estefania and Banago topped the list with four cases each, followed by Barangays Handumanan and Villamonte with three cases each; Barangays Mandalagan, Singcang-Airport, and Mansilingan with two cases each; and Barangays 2, 13, Bata, Tangub, and Vista Alegre with one case each.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environment Sanitation Division, earlier said the HFMD is a common childhood infectious illness caused by the Coxsackie virus.
She said it can affect adults and is most contagious in the first week.
Tan noted that signs and symptoms of the HFMD include a sore throat, fever, and painful ulcers or blisters in the hands and feet, sometimes the thighs and buttocks.
She said it spreads through direct contact with droplets from coughing or sneezing, touching an infected person, direct contact through kissing, hugging, or sharing utensils, direct contact with an infected person’s feces, and also touching infected objects and surfaces.