29 Schools In Bangkok Cancel Classes: HFMD Outbreak

[webfact]

DISEASE OUTBREAK

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.

"In Bangkok, most patients are young children aged not over four years old," Dr Wongwat Liewlak said yesterday. He is head of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) Communicable Diseases Control Division.

According to the Public Health Ministry, some 12,581 people got the disease in Thailand between January 1 and July 9 this year. There is no report of any deaths.

Prof Yong Poovorawan, a virus expert from Chulalongkorn University (CU), said the most common strain of HFMD spreading in Thailand now was CA6 (Coxsackie A6) - not CA16 anymore.

"At this point, it seems the incidences of HFMD are the highest in three decades," he said.

In Bangkok alone, 2,322 people had caught the disease. All up 18 schools in the capital have totally shut down, while 11 others have had to suspend some classes.

The prestigious CU demonstration primary school is among schools being closed temporarily due to the spread of HFMD among its students.

"We have found that 22 students came down with the disease," the university's president Dr Pirom Kamol-Ratanakul said yesterday.

The school closure - which started yesterday - will run till Friday including two days closed for CU's commencement ceremony.

"I believe the temporary closure will not hurt children's studies," Pirom said.

FOUR STUDENTS DIAGNOSED

The school's director Assoc Prof Supranee Jiranarong said four students were diagnosed with the disease on July 12, and four days later 18 more students caught the same disease.

"So, we have decided to close down the school temporarily and contacted a nearby public-health service centre to spray proper disinfectant across classrooms," she said.

Pirom urged the public to not get panicked about the spread of HFMD.

"If we follow the Public Health Ministry's guidelines, we will be |able to control the situation," he said.

The HFMD has raised serious concerns lately because a recent outbreak in Cambodia claimed more than 50 lives.

However, Thai officials have explained that the HFMD strain in Cambodia was more dangerous than the one commonly found in Thailand.

According to Deputy Government Spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard, the Public Health Ministry has now called on nurseries and schools to strictly maintain hygiene standards at their facilities.

Yong said department stores should clean playground zones more often too so as to reduce |the incidence of HFMD.

"There is no medicine and vaccine available to cure this disease. We can only prescribe the medicine to ease symptoms," he said.

According to him, 60 per cent of Thai children aged under five have no immunity against the disease. But most Thais aged over 12 years old do have immunity against the disease.

"A 'war room' must be set up at a provincial level with the provincial governor as the chair if there are more than 10 cases of HFMD found each day," Anusorn said.

-- The Nation 2012-07-18

[webfact]

Hand, foot and mouth disease forces closure, class suspensions in 29 Bangkok schools

BANGKOK, July 18 – Twenty-nine schools run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) were closed Tuesday due to the spread of the hand, foot and mouth disease, according to a senior BMA Department of Health official.

Communicable Disease Control Division director Wongwat Liulak said that 18 schools are totally closed while 11 schools suspended some classes after students were infected with the hand, foot and mouth disease.

He said that in the Bangkok area from January to July 16, 2,322 patients were diagnosed as infected with hand, foot and mouth disease, higher than the previous year, but there has been no report of any death.

Dr Wongwat said that the division has coordinated with all BMA schools and nursery schools to determine if any children or pupils had developed suspicious symptoms, and if so, to immediately report to the nearest BMA health centre.

An emergency mobile team would quickly investigate the case, he said.

All schools and kindergarten are asked to alert nearby healthcare centres if any of their children are found to have been infected, he said. In addition, disinfection would be carried out to ensure that toys, toilet and personal items are free of the disease.

Teachers are instructing students to wash their hands with soap and having properly cooked food. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-07-18

[dcutman]

What is the guy in the picture spraying? It does not look like the usuall method of disinfecting some thing. Wich really all that is required in these cases, I believe.

If this is the method that is used, should all the chairs be removed from the desk tops, wich appear to be covering 75% of them.

Edited July 18, 2012 by dcutman

[noitom]

The previous post identified that chairs are covering the desk tops - This appears to be a PR photo as very few if any Thai classrooms ever really look like this.

[LucidLucifer]

The previous post identified that chairs are covering the desk tops - This appears to be a PR photo as very few if any Thai classrooms ever really look like this.

I agree the photos is likely staged, but the school I worked at put chairs on desks like that at the end of the day.

[beano2274]

is this an airborne disease?

If so why are the kids not wearing masks. Also parents need to educate their kids to put their hands over their mouths when they cough. And teaching them to use a handkerchief instead of their friends clothes to wipe their noses.

[Moruya]

is this an airborne disease?

If so why are the kids not wearing masks. Also parents need to educate their kids to put their hands over their mouths when they cough. And teaching them to use a handkerchief instead of their friends clothes to wipe their noses.

It is mucous born.

Bodily fluids

[Orac]

Just been turned away at my daughters kindergarten in Pattaya - 2 cases confirmed by hospital this morning so closed til Monday.

[mozzieslapper]

My Kids school refuse to actually fill the liquid soap dispenser in the toilets, Amazing Thailand alright.

Edited July 18, 2012 by Scott
formatting

[Heng]

Just been turned away at my daughters kindergarten in Pattaya - 2 cases confirmed by hospital this morning so closed til Monday.

What school?

[Scott]

Some years ago, when the swine flu was a problem, our school was closed and it was sprayed. I don't know what they used, but it was a type of disinfectant. The chairs were put on top of the desks to enable a thorough cleaning with bleach of the floors and then the desks and chairs were all disinfected. It is what us teachers got to do when there wasn't any classes.

[Caliguy]

Is there a list of which schools are closed? I think that would be important.

[Orac]

Just been turned away at my daughters kindergarten in Pattaya - 2 cases confirmed by hospital this morning so closed til Monday.

What school?

Hastins Kindergarten - I didn't mention it as I assumed anyone with kids there would already know.

[tragickingdom]

Stupidity and ignorance rules. Not only do we have to deal wiith bureacrats who lead departments as a kind of family tradition and who are not schooled for the fucntions they perform, they straight face lie to the public. There was no problem only on Monday, just to learn that 329 people were affected this year alone. The numbers are multiple times higher, because the diagnosis is seldom EV71 related.

Than we deal with websites and journalists who keep on calling it Footh and mouse disease which it is not. But than again nowadays everybody is a medical doctor, aftr all about everyone buys medicines after chcking the symptoms on the internet.

Tip: Do not buy steroids to treat your children..... they might die.

[travelmann]

Oh Gawd cue the idiots with facemasks everywhere again................

[webfact]

BKK Deputy Governor: 22 BKK schools closed due to spread of hand, foot and mouth disease /MCOT

[travelmann]

is this an airborne disease?

If so why are the kids not wearing masks. Also parents need to educate their kids to put their hands over their mouths when they cough. And teaching them to use a handkerchief instead of their friends clothes to wipe their noses.

What, when you can see many Thai adults actively coughing up flem and gobbing it out or doing the one hand over the nose bogey firing in many places,ergggggggggggggggggh

[webfact]

HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE

HFMD cases reaching peak but not fatal : DCD

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) currently being found in Thailand are neither new strains nor mutations, said Emerging Infectious Diseases Bureau director and Disease Control Department spokesman Dr Rungruang Kitpati.

The contagious HFMD strains circulating in Thailand are Enterovirus 71, Coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) and Coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6), with the latter being found the most often. CVA6 is not fatal, but the viruses are airborne and change every year, he noted.

HFMD is usually found in children under age 12, particularly those under age five, he said, explaining that finding the disease among them is also normal.

In Thailand, the number of patients has reached almost 14,000, and this is considered the peak contagious period. The spread is expected to continue for up to six weeks, according to Dr Rungruang, who asked the public not to panic.

Meanwhile, he praised schools for closing temporarily for cleaning and the prevention of further outbreaks. Schools with a few patients, but which have previously closed for cleaning, were asked to follow the instructions of Public Health Ministry and local authorities.

One measure being carried out jointly by the Public Health and Education Ministries is having teachers manually inspect their students for fever or wounds on their cheeks.

Parents are also advised to monitor their children’s health and sanitation. Youngsters feeling nauseated, having high fever for more than three days, or having transparent bumps on skin should see a doctor immediately.

-- The Nation 2012-07-18

[dighambara]

The previous post identified that chairs are covering the desk tops - This appears to be a PR photo as very few if any Thai classrooms ever really look like this.

I agree the photos is likely staged, but the school I worked at put chairs on desks like that at the end of the day.

I have only seen a half dozen schools in the 9 years I have been here, but all looked exactly like the photo...

[JohnBozi]

In the last year and half I have never seen soap in the dispensers in the toilets at my primary school till today.

I teach at Pattaya Aksorn and hope to hell it doesn't hit our school up here.

[gunny3000]

Hi, does anyone know the schools and areas affected?

[silentnine]

Just been turned away at my daughters kindergarten in Pattaya - 2 cases confirmed by hospital this morning so closed til Monday.

What school?

Hastins Kindergarten - I didn't mention it as I assumed anyone with kids there would already know.

my little one (at hastins) fell sick straight after school yersterday

symptoms were that of food poisoning as opposed to hand/foot/mouth

vomited and the runs for 6 hours,

he had a hard stomach, complaining of tummy ache.. no spots or rash of any sort. and no apparent fever

today he is fine.

school says this new outbreak manifests like that and he must have a strong immune system and fought it off quickly ,,

anyone know if this is correct about no spots etc.. as really the hard tummy and all his symptoms were to me at least that of food poisoning

Edited July 18, 2012 by silentnine

[sirchai]

One measure being carried out jointly by the Public Health and Education Ministries is having teachers manually inspect their students for fever or wounds on their cheeks.

Don't they usually create wounds?

Sorry, not at their cheeks, the do it at body parts that can't be that easily seen...

Edited July 18, 2012 by sirchai

[remobb]

In the last year and half I have never seen soap in the dispensers in the toilets at my primary school till today.

I teach at Pattaya Aksorn and hope to hell it doesn't hit our school up here.

My school do not even have soap dispensers and they pay 60,000baht per year fees.?????

[SOTIRIOS]

...can't anyone be bothered to name a name....???

...name an area or region.....???

[Farang0tang]

Just been turned away at my daughters kindergarten in Pattaya - 2 cases confirmed by hospital this morning so closed til Monday.

What school?

Hastins Kindergarten - I didn't mention it as I assumed anyone with kids there would already know.

my little one (at hastins) fell sick straight after school yersterday

symptoms were that of food poisoning as opposed to hand/foot/mouth

vomited and the runs for 6 hours,

he had a hard stomach, complaining of tummy ache.. no spots or rash of any sort. and no apparent fever

today he is fine.

school says this new outbreak manifests like that and he must have a strong immune system and fought it off quickly ,,

anyone know if this is correct about no spots etc.. as really the hard tummy and all his symptoms were to me at least that of food poisoning

And my little one, also at Hastins, went to doctor Tuesday with fever. Doctor said not HFMD, but an "alergy to temperature" !!!!!!!!!!

[EarthAlien]

"I believe the temporary closure will not hurt children's studies," Pirom said.

Well,... no more than them attending everyday would!

[sandro]

is this an airborne disease?

If so why are the kids not wearing masks. Also parents need to educate their kids to put their hands over their mouths when they cough. And teaching them to use a handkerchief instead of their friends clothes to wipe their noses.

What, when you can see many Thai adults actively coughing up flem and gobbing it out or doing the one hand over the nose bogey firing in many places,ergggggggggggggggggh

Almost wanted to report you for "dirty talking " ha ha ha ha ! how true !

[silentnine]

And my little one, also at Hastins, went to doctor Tuesday with fever. Doctor said not HFMD, but an "alergy to temperature" !!!!!!!!!!

------------

that makes 3 of us at hastins lol .. funny how we only talk on thaivisa ,.. we'll have to wear name tags to school !

[goatfarmer]

Not to be confused with foot and mouth disease, which is airborne and affects ungulates:

http://www.cdc.gov/hand-foot-mouth/about/index.html