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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (December 13) called on people to maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene to prevent Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) following two recent outbreaks involving 21 young children and 26 teenagers.
The first case involved 12 boys and nine girls of a nursery school in Mong Kok. The children, aged from 2 to 4, developed symptoms of HFMD including oral ulcers, fever and rash or vesicles on hands or feet between November 23 and December 10.
Their symptoms were generally mild. Twenty of them consulted private doctors, government out-patient clinics or Accident and Emergency Department of hospital. One child was admitted to Caritas Medical Centre and has since recovered.
The second case involved 26 boys aged from 12 to 17 in a secondary school in Central. They developed HFM symptoms from November 2 to December 11.
They all consulted private doctors or general out-patient clinics. One boy required hospitalisation and has recovered.
A CHP spokesman said CHP had paid site visits to the institutions and provided health advice to the management. Laboratory tests on the stool samples collected from the affected children did not yield any pathogen for HFMD.
He said HFMD was a viral infection that was mainly transmitted by the faecal-oral route. Direct contact with open and weeping skin vesicles may also spread the virus.
"In most cases, the fever, rash and ulcers subside spontaneously in one week and full recovery is usual. Complications are uncommon. Only rarely is this illness associated with viral meningitis.
"Parents are, therefore, advised to seek prompt medical attention if their children develop a high fever, decrease in alertness or deterioration of general condition," the spokesman said.
To prevent HFMD, people, including management of institutions, should adopt the following measures:
*Maintain good air circulation.
*Wash hands before meals and after going to toilet, handling diapers or other stool soiled materials.
*Keep hands clean and wash hands properly, especially when they are dirtied by respiratory secretions, e.g. after sneezing.
*Cover nose and mouth while sneezing or coughing and dispose of nasal and mouth discharge properly.
*Clean children's toys and other objects thoroughly and frequently with 1:99 diluted household bleach, followed by rinsing/wiping with clean water.
*Children who are ill should be kept out of school until their fever and rash have subsided and all the vesicles have dried and crusted.
*Avoid going to overcrowded places.
For more advice on prevention of HFMD, people may visit CHP's website (http://www.chp.gov.hk) or call the Department's Central Health Education Unit Hotline 2833 0111.
Ends/Thursday, December 13, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:31
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