Bacolod City – The Sangguniang Panlungsod is urging the City Health Office (CHO), through Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, to take urgent action and implement stricter measures to prevent hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in view of the recent drastic increase in cases.
The resolution authored by Councilor Em Ang and co-authored by Councilor Claudio Puentevella, said HFMD is a common viral illness usually affecting infants and children but cannot affect adults.
The infection usually involves the hands, feet, mouths, and sometimes, even the genitals and buttocks, it said.
Based on the report of the Bacolod City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (BCESU), the city already logged a total of 16 HFMD cases as of January 21, the resolution said.
The aforesaid total HFMD cases are 700 percent higher compared to the number of cases last year in the same period, which was only two, it said.
The resolution said intensified information and educational campaigns in different barangays and places most frequented by children such as day care centers, schools, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, and other immediate measures and interventions must be taken to prevent the further spread of HFMD.
Meanwhile, Puentevella also authored a resolution enjoining all barangay captains in the City of Bacolod to coordinate with the CHO to intensify their campaign against the threat of HFMD. (Chrysee Semillano via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)