Procedures for preventing and being aware of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease

           Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) can occur at any time of the year but is usually widely spread during the rainy season, where the weather is cool and humid. This month is the month that hand foot mouth virus is most likely to spread; therefore our school has cooperated with the Public Health Center to oversee and prevent the spread of the disease.

           HFMD is caused by viruses that belong to the Enterovirus group, mainly the virus called Enterovirus 71 (EV71). Children can catch the virus from any public place, such as school, daycare, amusement parks, public toilets, etc. It is often found in young children. After being exposed to the virus for 3-6 days, children start to have a low fever, tiredness, and may have a runny nose, cough, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea. Then in a day or two, sores or blisters may appear on the child’s gums, tongue, or on the inside of their cheeks, which cause lack of appetite. It can also appear on the palms of hands, fingers, feet, and sometimes the buttocks. The infection usually goes away without any serious complications within 7 – 10 days. In very rare occasions, complications such as viral Meningitis, Encephalitis, Paralysis, Myasthenia Gravis or Myocarditis may occur.

          Our school has procedures and preventative routines to stop the spread of HFMD as below;
          1. Students will have their temperature checked every morning before going to their classroom. If any students are sick or have a fever (37 ºCelsius and above), these students will be taken to the nurse room to be examined thoroughly. Then, the school will contact the parents of the sick student to take their child home and see the doctor immediately.
          2. If your child has HFMD, please allow your child to stay at home to rest until he or she has fully recovered and also inform the school in order to control the spread of the virus.
          3. Our classrooms, toys and equipment that students share at school, including our play areas like the jungle gym and soft gym, are cleaned daily with disinfectant. Our school toilets are also sanitized daily, every 2 hours.
          4. There are alcohol hand gel dispensers provided in school common areas, such as classrooms, canteens, and toilets. Every classroom is sprayed with disinfectant every week.

          Despite our preventative procedures, students may still be exposed to the virus on their way between home and school, or from exposure at other places during the weekends. Although our school has been trying to prevent the spread of HFMD, it can be hard to avoid the virus entering the school, as it is an open area where visitors are allowed to visit. However, our school will always be well-prepared in preventing new germs that may arise.