Hand Foot Mouth Infections rise among city schoolchildren

Rithu Dravid | NT

Bengaluru

 With a spurt in Hand Foot Mouth Infections (HFMD) among children in the city, a few schools have given an option to students to attend online classes. In case of offline classes, the school authorities have put in place strict safety protocols for students.

 According to doctors in the city, the main reason for the spread of HFMD is due to the Monsoons and the climatic conditions. The chilly weather and continuous rains have forced younger children to stay away from school. Some of the common symptoms are sore throat, fever, painful blisters and loss of appetite. The doctors recommend children to avoid school during the initial 2 to 3 days, since it is a communicable disease.

“Every day at the hospital we have 5-6 children at the outpatient department,”said  Dr Lakshmipathy, Senior Consultant, Department of Pediatrics, KC General Hospital. “A lot of children from both private and government schools visit the hospital with the infection. Babysitting centres have the most infected cases and young kids less than 5 years old show more severity and frequency in contracting HFMD. The healing period takes a week. The infection is seasonal and it is a zoonotic disease mostly in animals like sheep and goats. As humans we also tend to get infected with HFMD,” he added.

The doctor’s advice is to avoid close contact with anyone who has HFMD. They focus on practicing hand hygiene such as washing hands with soap and water before eating and after using the toilets.

Dr Harish Kumar, Consultant Pediatrics and Pediatric Intensive Care, Aster CMI Hospital said, “Every day we see a total of 8 to 10 cases in the paediatric ward. HFMD is a mild form of viral disease, usually self-limiting. Medications are given to reduce symptoms and give comfort to the patients. It is recommended for children to avoid school, usually for 2 to 3 days.” However, with a significant drop in attendance, some schools have given an option for the students to attend online classes.

Schools like Orchids The International School, Mysore Road have sent a circular to the parents informing them not to send their kids to school if they show symptoms of any infection.

“We are working together to provide a safe learning environment for everyone in school. We have also sent an advisory to the parents on the same as some unwell students found it difficult in focusing in class,” said Nagaveni T Reddy, principal of the school.

As precautionary measures the schools are regularly monitoring the student’s health and other functionaries. The parents are also told not to send their wards to school in case of symptoms of flu or foot mouth infection. Other in-house safety measures like sanitation and the availability of trained paramedics in schools are in place.

 “At Deens Academy, we have a few cases of HFMD and appropriate hygiene measures are being undertaken,” said Shanti Menon principal