Top Bangkok Primary School Closes Due To Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease: Chulalongkorn University

[Scott]

We have posters who can give greater insight into the disease, but there are several things to keep in mind.

1. There were a lot of deaths in Cambodia, so there is a medical reason to be rather cautious with this disease.

2. There is always the problem of health service providers being overwhelmed with huge numbers of infections and complications.

Finally, these are pretty young children and parents tend to be protective and worried about their children.

[edko]

This news is particularly alarming for me. Being from the United States, we don't have many outbreaks of this disease. Prior to this event, I admit to having very little knowledge about it at all. It has been confirmed that there is at least one case of it at my school. There hasn't been any talk of closure yet, but you never know when a school like Chula does something like this. Others may very well follow.

I'm back in the USA for a short while. Two days ago my 16 month old grandsons (twins) came down with this disease. One evening of discomfort and the next day fine. My daughter says it was picked up at the gym she goes to.

What is difficult for me to believe is the 'sky is falling' attitude of so many posters over a viral infection that is seriously not serious. The negative attitudes of so many posters on here denigrating Thai officials for not containing something so difficult to contain, so easily spread, is simply appalling. Are you people for real?

Did you bother to read the rest of my post about why it would be a cause for alarm? It is serious. Numerous children have died in nearby countries. It is miserable for children despite usually being harmless in the long term. Hygiene and sanitation aren't a high priority, as my experience will show regarding the very minimum of providing soap in communal toilet areas. It is SOAP! It's not ROCKET SCIENCE! I didn't talk about any Thai officials at all, so I wonder why you are quoting my post. I certainly didn't say the sky was falling. I said, in other words, that I was concerned about the outbreak for some of the reasons outlined in the OP and raised further questions which I am not educated about.

Sorry. I quoted only the part of your post that I thought concerned lack of knowledge of the existence in the USA. My other comments were not directed to your post.

In fact, according to my daughter's pediatrician, there is a general outbreak in at least this area at this time, in numerous daycare centers, of what is described by her pediatrician as a VERY CONTAGIOUS but mild disease.

As far as my comments about 'the sky is falling' syndrome so prevalent on TV, it was not directed to you or your post but to the numerous almost hysterical posts in the preceding 100 or so posts.

My own understanding of "very contagious" is simply that it is easily spread and most likely no amount of hand washing and hand wringing is going to stop the spread. To expect Thai officials to have foreseen an outbreak after an incubation period of some several days is simply not reasonable.

[smileplur]

Sorry. I quoted only the part of your post that I thought concerned lack of knowledge of the existence in the USA. My other comments were not directed to your post.

In fact, according to my daughter's pediatrician, there is a general outbreak in at least this area at this time, in numerous daycare centers, of what is described by her pediatrician as a VERY CONTAGIOUS but mild disease.

As far as my comments about 'the sky is falling' syndrome so prevalent on TV, it was not directed to you or your post but to the numerous almost hysterical posts in the preceding 100 or so posts.

My own understanding of "very contagious" is simply that it is easily spread and most likely no amount of hand washing and hand wringing is going to stop the spread. To expect Thai officials to have foreseen an outbreak after an incubation period of some several days is simply not reasonable.

Fair enough. My only mention of my nationality was to alert people to the fact that I have had limited exposure to the virus until recently. Certain strains of the virus are proving to be anything but mild in Southeast Asia. Let's hope that this one proves to be what they are claiming it to be. And, let's home for some dam_n soap at my school!!!!!

[Acemaker]

The incompetence of the Thai authorities is unrivaled in the world. Yesterday they told that Thailand had no problems whatsoever and that everything was under control. That wile 76 children had died in Phnom Pen alone and 64 in China. Everybody with half a brain knows that this is the top of the iceberg as doctors do not know how to identify EV71. in a matter of fact the WHO thinks that the children die mainly due to the use of steroids while local doctors deny this. Along the border with Cambodia there must be literally hundreds of cases like this.

the wait is for a political party like the Democrat Party to start pointing fingers to the government and accuse them of negligence, a bit like with the flooding. It is the governments fault that it is raining and also that the Bangkok government closed all the klongs and made roads out of them.

The real trouble is the establishment. Departments are in the hands of elitist who are there to stay. They are not used to be scrutinized and they are always in denial.

Your stats on China and Cambodia may be correct but on the whole your post is a lot of unsubstantiated blather.

What does Blather mean ?

[cdnski12]

I'm surprised that the infection has not spread farther. I see a local soi bus passsing along our Soi, picking up the local school children, i/c the extended family kids. They squash onto the bus, girls sitting on each others laps, athletic boys clinging onto the roof, as the School Taxi careens 8.5 km into the nearest town schools. Colds, flus and other viruses spread like wild fires. I see kids hacking & coughing on the buses. Several of the extended family children bring home virelent flus. It's bad enough travelling on local buses, but the School Taxi Buses are a real germ Generator!

[Thai at Heart]

I'm surprised that the infection has not spread farther. I see a local soi bus passsing along our Soi, picking up the local school children, i/c the extended family kids. They squash onto the bus, girls sitting on each others laps, athletic boys clinging onto the roof, as the School Taxi careens 8.5 km into the nearest town schools. Colds, flus and other viruses spread like wild fires. I see kids hacking & coughing on the buses. Several of the extended family children bring home virelent flus. It's bad enough travelling on local buses, but the School Taxi Buses are a real germ Generator!

Of course it has.

[Moruya]

This news is particularly alarming for me. Being from the United States, we don't have many outbreaks of this disease. Prior to this event, I admit to having very little knowledge about it at all. It has been confirmed that there is at least one case of it at my school. There hasn't been any talk of closure yet, but you never know when a school like Chula does something like this. Others may very well follow.

What alarms me most about it are a few things:

1) The sanitary conditions where I work -- The toilet closest to my desk never has soap. I am told this is because a student drank a large amount of it once, so they removed the liquid soap dispenser. The toilet is cleaned often, but the knobs and handles frequently touched are not. Students don't often wash their hands when they finish their business. Without soap, running water over hands isn't very hygienic as far as I can tell. I mean we all touch the same things to flush the toilet or turn the water on and off.

Also, there is one plastic cup at the water dispensing machine. This plastic cup can be used by anyone. I fill up my own water bottle, but students and Thai teachers don't always do the same. Otherwise, students can use the shared plastic cup that belongs to their classroom. I would hope this is cleaned a few times a day, but I highly doubt it. I've never seen anyone washing one. I watched 20 kids line up at a different water machine and use the same cup after a PE class today. Furthermore, the cup invariably touches the nozzle where the water is dispensed. This means that transmission can also occur when using another personal water bottle, cup, or whatever.

2) I am no doctor, but what are the ramifications of using a 'bum gun' that's been used by an infected person? It seems to me that this is another possible way for the virus to spread rather easily. It's a recipe for disaster,

I'm fairly certain that my place of employment isn't going to close, but you never know. We've already faced a lot of disruptions. While a week off would be lovely, I'd prefer the time in the classroom to catch up to where we should be at this point in the school year. The ramifications of this disease are seemingly nil for a healthy adult, but I would hate to see a bunch of students fall very ill. I'm not so sure which strain this is, as I have learned to be skeptical of media downplay of such things. This is especially true considering the recent outbreak in Cambodia. I'm not expecting a whole lot of truth to be disseminated regarding the extent of this outbreak.

3) As has already been stated, misdiagnosis by doctors appears to be very problematic. Antibiotics seem to be prescribed for every ailment. I've had doctors try to give them to me for a severe headache! These drugs can cause complications with this disease.

Well, we will just have to wait and see how this one plays out!

I believe your bum will be fine.

I believe I clearly stated that the use of a bum gun can lead to an increased risk of transmission of the disease. I also stated that I am not concerned about my own well-being as a perfectly well grown adult. I am concerned about the health and well-being of the students I teach.

Is that so difficult to understand? Did you bother to read anything else written, or was this just your silly attempt at poking fun at a serious post from a person concerned about the ramifications of this? Either way, you come across as foolish,

If you are worried about the health of the kids in your school then do the honourable thing. Change it!

Jesus!

[webfact]

please continue:

29 schools in Bangkok cancel classes

THANATPONG KONGSAI,

PUANGCHOMPOO PRASERT,

JEERAPONG PRASERTPONKRANG

THE NATION

Highest incidence of hand, foot and mouth for years; no deaths reported

BANGKOK: -- At least 29 schools in Bangkok have suspended some of their classes or shut down their whole facilities in the wake of the hand, foot, and mouth disease - or HFMD outbreak.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-hfmd-outbreak/

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