Hand, foot and mouth disease is in town

Hand, foot and mouth disease is in town

JAKARTA (JP): The city health agency has recorded some 30
cases of infants suffering from the contagious hand, foot and
mouth disease in the past two weeks and is alerting parents
living in the capital.

Deputy head of the agency, Ruhul Aflah, told The Jakarta Post
on Thursday that the disease, which has been dubbed in several
countries as a lethal one, so far has been discovered mostly in
the city's plush estates, such as the Pondok Indah area.

Last week, the management of Teddy Bear pre-school in Pondok
Indah halted activities for two days for disinfecting after two
of its students came down with the illness, locally called by its
acronym MKT (mulut-kaki-tangan) disease.

According to Ruhul, also a doctor, his office has yet to
receive details of all locations where the disease has been
confirmed, but has alerted all hospitals and community health
centers about the symptoms.

"The disease is caused by a virus and cannot be cured. But it
is not a deadly virus as long as the infected children can be
properly treated," Ruhul said.

It was reported early last month that four infants died of
hand, foot and mouth disease in Singapore, and three children
perished in Kuala Lumpur from the disease.

News agencies reported that more than 1,000 people, mostly
children, in the two neighboring countries had fallen ill with
the "lethal" disease.

The disease is usually found in cows and other farm animals.
Adults also can be infected by the disease, but children under
the age of five are especially susceptible.

Ruhul said that the symptoms of the disease are similar to
influenza, namely fever, sore throat, runny nose. But, he added,
initial symptoms of the disease are normally followed by mouth
ulcers, rashes on hands, feet or buttocks, vomiting and diarrhea.

"The ailing child can be treated at home, meaning that the
sick person does not have to stay in hospital as long as he or
she has adequate time to rest, enough nutrition and vitamin C.
The child should also see doctor for routine check-up," Ruhul
said.

She added that all of the recorded 30 cases were found in
middle and upper income neighborhoods and there has been no
reports that the disease has infected children from poor families
yet.

Interviewed separately, principal of Pondok Indah's Teddy Bear
pre-school, Pipie Haury said the school opened again on Monday
after the weekend clean-up.

"It's just a prevention effort for the sake of the children,
following reports from the parents of two students who advised
that their children have the symptoms," Pipie said.

The school has 160 students between 18 months and six years
old. About 80 percent of them are Japanese, with the remaining
few from other Asian countries, like Malaysia, Korea, India and
Indonesia.

"The two children said to have been infected by the disease
were a Japanese and an Indonesian. One of them came back to
school today and we have been informed by the doctor that the
child is free from the virus," Pipie said.

Increase

Director for Medical Services at Pondok Indah Hospital, doctor
Mus Aida, confirmed a significant increase in the number of child
patients with symptoms of the disease in the past month.

Most of the patients have been allowed to leave the hospital
for treatment in their homes, Aida told the Post at her office.

"The incubation period of the disease is from three to seven
days and I suggest every child having symptoms of the disease
stay at home to prevent spreading," Aida said.

She also said people should not panic because the disease is
not a deadly one.

Meanwhile, a senior doctor at state-owned Cipto Mangunkusumo
General Hospital said that the hospital, the largest in Jakarta,
had yet to receive any children suffering from the infectious
disease.

"No children have been admitted suffering the disease," Prof.
Sri Rezeki S. Hadinegoro, an expert at the hospital's children's
ward said. (dja/asa)