Statement From HFMD Taskforce

24 Feb 2001

An 11 month old child admitted in a critical condition to KK Women's and Children's Hospital three days ago has been diagnosed this morning to be infected with enterovirus 71 (EV71), one of the viruses that can cause HFMD.

The child's twin brother, who was also ill with fever was admitted and has since recovered. The twins' older sisters aged 5 and 6 are well and the kindergarten they attend was found to have no HFMD cases.

The HFMD Taskforce has been monitoring the general situation closely and there is no sign of any outbreak. For the first three weeks of this year, an average of 162 HFMD cases were reported per week. In the last five weeks, the average number of cases was 110 per week. This week, the number has gone up to 141 per week. In comparison, during the peak of the HFMD outbreak in October 2000, there was an average of 1,140 HFMD cases reported per week.

The Taskforce is satisfied that childcare centres and other pre-schools have been observing proper hygiene and sanitation in their premises. The Taskforce will continue to monitor and work closely with the pre-school operators to keep up the standards of maintenance.

Parents are reminded however not to send their child who is unwell to school and to consult a doctor if their child has any of the following symptoms:

• Fever lasting 2-3 days

• Sore throat and runny nose

• Mouth ulcers, rash, usually blister like over hands,

• Feet and diaper areas

They should be alert to any change in their child's behaviour. Should they refuse to eat or drink, have persistent vomiting and drowsiness, parents should bring their child immediately to the A&E Departments of either NUH or KKH, whichever is closer to their home.