Thread: Bacteria warning in Korat

APINYA WIPATAYOTIN
The Ministry of Public Health is closely monitoring a possible outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) after four children in Nakhon Ratchasima died from a highly-contagious strain of the disease last week.

Kamnuan Ungchusak, director of the epidemiology bureau, said two children aged below five from Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok were under observation after developing HFMD-like symptoms.

HFMD patients suffer from fever, sores in the mouth and throat, appetite loss, a rash and blisters.

The disease, usually found in children aged under 10, is generally not fatal as it tends to be associated with the coxsackievirus A16 infection.

However, in the deaths of the four children, the enterovirus 71 viral strain is suspected to be the killer agent.

"We have stepped up coordination with provincial public health officials to prevent the spread of the disease.

"And the good news is that no new HFMD cases have been reported," said Dr Kamnuan.

Parents should closely monitor the health of their children and isolate them from other family members if they develop flu-like symptoms, he said.

The infectious disease expert said initial tests had shown that a strain of the enterovirus 71 virus was the killer of the four children in Nakhon Ratchasima's Muang, Sikhiu, and Kaeng Sanam Nang districts last week.

Doctors failed to save their lives because their condition deteriorated very rapidly after they contracted the infection, leading to severe brain damage.

"This may not be the type of HFMD that used to hit the province. We were surprised by the quick deaths," said a Nakhon Ratchasima public health official.
The same highly-infectious strain of enterovirus 71-induced HMFD claimed several lives in outbreaks in Malaysia in 1997 and in Taiwan in 1998.

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