By CESAR JOLITO III
Health authorities in Negros Occidental are raising concerns over a significant spike in hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases across the province, with a staggering 246.44 percent increase recorded this year.
Data from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) show that from January 1 to June 28, a total of 828 cases of HFMD were reported, a sharp rise from the 239 cases recorded in the same period in 2024.
Bago City has the most number of cases, logging 241, followed by Cadiz City (105), Victorias City (76), Manapla town (66), La Carlota City (53), Talisay City (42), Cauayan town (33), Pulupandan town (29), Kabankalan City (24), and Don Salvador Benedicto town (22).
The PHO noted that the majority of those infected are young children aged zero to 10, making the surge particularly concerning for parents and schools as classes resume.
Despite the spike, the health office clarified that no deaths have been reported due to HFMD so far this year.
HFMD is a contagious viral illness commonly affecting infants and young children.
While typically mild, it spreads easily in schools and daycare settings.
The illness spreads through direct contact with droplets from coughing or sneezing, touching an infected person or through kissing, hugging or sharing utensils, contact with an infected person’s feces, and touching infected objects and surfaces.
HFMD also includes the following symptoms: fever; sore throat; feeling unwell; painful, red blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums and inside the cheeks; a red rash, without itching but sometimes with blistering on the palms, soles and buttocks; irritability in infants and toddlers; and loss of appetite.
Local health officials are urging communities to practice proper hygiene, frequent handwashing, and to monitor symptoms closely.
Parents are also advised to keep symptomatic children at home to prevent further spread.
The PHO continues to monitor the situation and coordinate with local government units to contain the outbreak.
Health interventions
Face-to-face classes in some public elementary schools in E.B. Magalona town were suspended yesterday until Friday, July 11 to allow the conduct of necessary public health interventions amid the reported cases of HFMD among learners.
“During this period, classes will shift to the alternative delivery mode using the emergency learning kit,” Mayor Matthew Louis Malacon said in an executive order.
The said order was applied to public schools, such as Nanca Elementary School, E.B. Magalona Elementary School, and all child development centers in the town.
As of Wednesday, July 9, E.B. Magalona recorded 18 HFMD cases — five in Barangay Alicante; three each in Barangays Tabigue and Tuburan; two each in Barangays Nanca and III-Poblacion; and one each in Barangays Damgo, Gahit and Tanza./CJ, WDJ