Dumaguete City (CNN Philippines) — A total of 100 children in Negros Occidental suffered from hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) from January to August this year, according to Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Negros Occidental provincial health officer.
Most of the HFMD cases were recorded in Cadiz City with 74 affected children, Tumimbang said.
Other areas with reported HFMD cases are Sagay City with 12, Escalante City with five, Talisay City with three, Kabankalan City and Pontevedra town with two each, and the cities of Bago and Silay with one each.
June had the most number of reported HFMD cases with 44, followed by July with 39, records showed.
The bulk of children hit by HFMD are below three years old, while the oldest was 17 years old, Tumimbang said.
HFMD is an illness that causes sores in or on the mouth and on the hands, feet, and sometimes the buttocks and legs that may be painful.
It’s common among young children, but it’s not fatal and usually lasts less than a week, Tumimbang said.
The common symptoms of HFMD are fever, sore throat, and small, blister-like lesions that may occur on the inside of the mouth, sides of the tongue, palms of the hands, fingers, soles of the feet, and the buttocks.
Health officials urge parents to practice cleanliness at home and supervise their children in proper hand washing.
The public should report cases of HFMD to local health offices to prevent its spread, Tumimbang added.
