Negros Oriental has logged 156 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) with mostly young children being affected, a health official said on Saturday, February 18.

Acting Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion said the HFMD cases were monitored in many areas in the province.

“Most of those affected by this infectious disease are children aged one to 10, comprising about 90 percent of the total cases,” she said, citing the latest weekly morbidity report.

As the disease can be easily transmitted to children, especially because face-to-face classes have resumed, Estacion advised parents to remind them to wash their hands before eating.

“The cases are usually not serious and can be resolved within seven to 10 days, with the usual treatment of symptoms, such as giving analgesics for those with fever,” she said.

Isolation is also another way of preventing transmission, she added.

The Provincial Health Office will tap school nurses and embark on massive information dissemination drives to alert the public against HFMD.

Meanwhile, Estacion said she would consult Governor Roel Degamo on the possibility of securing or tightening the borders of Negros Oriental after HMFD cases ballooned in Negros Occidental in recent weeks.

Media reports said cases on the other side of the island rose by 6,300 percent, leading to officials calling for a declaration of an outbreak.

HFMD symptoms include fever, blisters in the mouth, hands, and feet, and sore throat. (PNA)