ILOILO – Carles is the only town in the province that has not recorded a case of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) since the beginning of 2023, data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) showed.
HFMD is characterized by painful sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet.
Commonly caused by the coxsackievirus, this contagious infection occurs mostly in children.
From Jan. 1 to April 8, the province listed 3,258 HFMD cases – 1,183 percent higher compared to 254 cases in the same period last year.
The town of Santa Barbara logged the highest cases at 316, followed by Lambunao (199), Alimodian (189), Calinog (166), Badiangan (152), Barotac Viejo (150), Mina (136), Leon (132), Janiuay (122), and Banate (110).
Here are the other towns, including the component city of Passi, and their number of HFMD cases: Bingawan (101), New Lucena (100), Passi City (97), Tubungan (197), Igbaras (77), Sara (76), Pototan (75), Maasin (73), San Rafael (73), Miag-ao (68), San Dionisio (66), Barotac Nuevo (65), Pavia (61), Zarraga (58), Lemery (52), Oton (41), Concepcion (36), Cabatuan (32), Ajuy (29), Anilao (22), San Miguel (19), San Joaquin (15), Batad (11), Dueñas (11), Balasan (nine), Leganes (two), Guimbal (two), Dingle (two), San Enrique (one), and Estancia (one).
Dr. Maria Soccoro Colmenares-Quiñon, IPHO head, said despite the decreasing trend of HFMD cases, it is still very much present, noting that for the 14th morbidity week or from April 1 to 8, they recorded 137 new cases.
“Ang HFMD sige-sige man. Ang kalimpyohan sa lawas kag sa palibot ang solusyon. Gani magpaligo pirme, mag-handwashing. Kon may masakit, indi pag i-upod sa iban nga mga bata, isolate asta madula ang blisters,” said Quiñon.
If a child is infected with HFMD, parents and guardians should:
* Inform the nearest health centers so they can take extra precautionary steps.
* Avoid going to school and other public places.
* Give paracetamol for fever and apply a tepid sponge bath.
* Make sure children drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration.
* Prepare soft food, including fruits that are best chilled, to help ease discomfort from mouth ulcers.
HFMD may cause all of the following signs and symptoms or just some of them:
* fever
* sore throat
* feeling unwell
* painful, red, blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks
* a red rash, without itching but sometimes with blistering, on the palms, soles, and sometimes the buttocks
* irritability in infants and toddlers
* loss of appetite/PN
