Hand, Foot and Mouth disease found in Cayman Islands school
Thorough Sanitization of West End Primary School on Cayman Brac to take place
The Dept. of Education Services received a report on Tuesday, September 29th, that nineteen students at West End Primary School were diagnosed as having Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. This viral disease occurs most commonly in children less than 10 years of age and most often in summer and fall months.
The Public Health Department was called in to assist with the outbreak and has advised that the school should be completely sanitized. To facilitate this process, West End Primary School will be closed from Wednesday September 30th and re-open on Monday, October 5th.
At this time there are no known cases at Creek and Spot Bay Primary School.
Parents are being asked to seek medical attention if their child/children present with symptoms and to keep them home until they recover to minimize spreading the disease to other students.
Related story:
JAMAICA: Hand, foot and mouth disease now reported in 27 schools
From Jamaica Observer
The Ministry of Education yesterday urged parents of children affected by the hand, food and mouth disease to keep them at home as the virus spreads to several more schools.
The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA), in a release last night, said the contagious disease has been reported in 27 schools, up from the nine reported on Monday.
Six of the affected schools are in Kingston and St Andrew, seven in St Thomas, and 14 in St Catherine. Seven additional schools were also being investigated in St Catherine, SERHA said.
The health authority urged the public to practise proper hygiene, such as washing hands with soap and water, to reduce the likelihood of the spread of the disease. The authority also advised that frequently touched surfaces and soiled items, including toys, be cleaned and disinfected frequently.
“Close contact such as kissing, hugging, or sharing eating utensils or cups with people with hand, foot, and mouth disease should be avoided,” it added in a release.
SERHA said it was working assiduously with the schools to prevent any further spread of the disease, while the education ministry urged parents to be on the lookout for the common symptoms of the disease. These include fever (lasting for one to two days), loss of appetite, painful sores in the mouth, sore throat, and blister-like rashes on the palms of the hand and soles of the feet.
For more on this story go to: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Hand–foot-and-mouth-disease-now-reported-in-27-schools_19231280
FROM MAYO CLINIC
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease — a mild, contagious viral infection common in young children — is characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is most commonly caused by a coxsackievirus.
There’s no specific treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease. You can reduce your child’s risk of infection from hand-foot-and-mouth disease by practicing good hygiene and teaching your child how to keep clean.
Symptoms
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease may cause all of the following signs and symptoms or just some of them. They include:
Fever
Sore throat
Feeling of being unwell (malaise)
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
The usual period from initial infection to the onset of signs and symptoms (incubation period) is three to six days. A fever is often the first sign of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, followed by a sore throat and sometimes a poor appetite and malaise.
One or two days after the fever begins, painful sores may develop in the mouth or throat. A rash on the hands and feet and possibly on the buttocks can follow within one or two days.
When to see a doctor
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is usually a minor illness causing only a few days of fever and relatively mild signs and symptoms. Contact your doctor if mouth sores or a sore throat keep your child from drinking fluids. And contact your doctor if after a few days, your child’s signs and symptoms worsen.
Causes
By Mayo Clinic Staff
The most common cause of hand-foot-and-mouth disease is infection with the coxsackievirus A16. The coxsackievirus belongs to a group of viruses called nonpolio enteroviruses. Other types of enteroviruses sometimes cause hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
Oral ingestion is the main source of coxsackievirus infection and hand-foot-and-mouth disease. The illness spreads by person-to-person contact with an infected person’s:
Nasal secretions or throat discharge
Saliva
Fluid from blisters
Stool
Respiratory droplets sprayed into the air after a cough or sneeze
Common in child care setting
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is most common in children in child care settings because of frequent diaper changes and potty training, and because little children often put their hands in their mouths.
Although your child is most contagious with hand-foot-and-mouth disease during the first week of the illness, the virus can remain in his or her body for weeks after the signs and symptoms are gone. That means your child still can infect others.
Some people, particularly adults, can pass the virus without showing any signs or symptoms of the disease.
Outbreaks of the disease are more common in summer and autumn in the United States and other temperate climates. In tropical climates, outbreaks occur year-round.
Different from foot-and-mouth disease
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease isn’t related to foot-and-mouth disease (sometimes called hoof-and-mouth disease), which is an infectious viral disease found in farm animals. You can’t contract hand-foot-and-mouth disease from pets or other animals, and you can’t transmit it to them.
IMAGE: en.wikipedia.org
