Bulacan sees spike in HFMD cases
CITY OF MALOLOS — Bulacan officials advise parents to keep their toddlers inside their house to minimize chances of being infected with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD), as cases in the province soared in January.
Dr. Edwin Tecson, head of the Bulacan Public Health Office (PHO), said suspected HFMD cases monitored from Jan. 1 to Jan. 25 have reached 252, which was 460 percent higher compared to the only 45 cases in 2024.
Tecson said that based on the records of the Bulacan Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Pesu), affected children were around 4 years old and below, including infants.
The City of San Jose del Monte, with 37 cases, had the highest incidents; followed by Marilao town, with 35 cases; and Santa Maria town, with 22 cases.
According to Patricia Alvaro-Castro, PHO-Health Education and Promotion Officer II, 14 barangays in the towns of Balagtas, Bocaue, Marilao, Paombong and Santa Maria and the cities of Malolos and San Jose del Monte recorded a clustering of cases, wherein four or more cases were recorded in the past two to four weeks.
The health offices in the 20 towns and four cities of Bulacan recorded 73 percent of the January cases, while 17.9 percent were recorded in government hospitals, and 9.1 percent were recorded in private hospitals.
There is no report of any death, Castro said.
Cold weather
Castro told Inquirer on Saturday that HFMD cases often arise every January because of the cold weather. The infection usually happens when toddlers and children go out of their houses and play in enclosed playgrounds during the holidays in December.
“My dear Bulakenyo parents, please double our efforts to take extra care of our children, particularly the young and the infants for us to avoid this ailment. We in the Bulacan provincial government are looking into ways to continue to provide you the health care that you need,” Gov. Daniel Fernando said in a speech last week during a distribution of financial and medical assistance event to residents of the City of Malolos.
According to Tecson, HFMD is a viral infection that commonly affects infants and toddlers.
It spreads through contact with people with colds via their phlegm saliva or waste. The virus can also be spread through contact with things that an HFMD-inflicted person had touched.
Tecson said among its symptoms are fever, reddish blisters in tongue, gum and cheeks, lack of appetite, weakness, sore throat, rashes in hands and on the buttocks and being irritable in the case of infants and toddlers.
He said there are no specific medicines for the illness but its symptoms can be lessened through intake of more water, particularly cold water, exposure to light and eating of soft foods. Over-the-counter drugs for fever may also be taken.
But it is better to consult a doctor for prescription of proper medicines if there is difficulty in breathing and in swallowing and if weakness lasts for more than 10 days, said Tecson.
He said parents should keep the infants and the toddlers away from crowded places and make sure they wash their hands and observe good hygiene if they played in public areas. For breastfeeding infants, the parents are told to avoid contact with persons showing symptoms of HFMD.
Cleanliness and personal hygiene, disinfection of contaminated areas and covering the mouth when sneezing are also among the very basic protocols to keep everyone safe from HFMD, Tecson added.
