Manila, Aug 30 (IANS) The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday reported that it has tallied 2,525 cases of the highly contagious Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in just one week, bringing the total number of cases to 39,893 recorded from January to August 16.

The agency said around 50 per cent of the cases were detected in children aged one to three years old.

The rapid spike in HFMD cases, reported Xinhua news agency, prompted the DOH to urge the local government units to heighten vigilance in monitoring the highly contagious viral disease.

HFMD typically affects infants and young children, causing symptoms like fever, painful mouth sores, and a rash with blisters on the hands, feet, and buttocks. It spreads through close contact with an infected person’s saliva, mucus, blister fluid, or feces.

In May, a surge in the number of HFMD cases among school-aged children was reported in Malaysia’s northern Borneo state of Sabah which forced the temporary closure of five schools, according to the local health authorities.

More than 4,300 HFMD cases were reported between January to April, with nearly 83 per cent involving children under the age of seven, the Sabah Health Department said in a statement.

Sabah Health Director Maria Suleiman, a health crisis expert, said the closures were a precautionary measure to allow for thorough cleaning and disinfection of affected premises to break the chain of infection.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), HFMD is a common infectious disease that occurs most often in children but can also occur in adolescents and occasionally in adults.

In most cases, the disease is mild and self-limiting, with common symptoms including fever, painful sores in the mouth, and a rash with blisters on hands, feet and buttocks.

However, more severe symptoms such as meningitis, encephalitis and polio-like paralysis may occur.

–IANS

/as