By Stephen Tucker
The government has confirmed that over 450 children throughout Mongolia have been diagnosed as having the potentially deadly hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD), in a rampant outbreak of the highly contagious disease.
The disease, confirmed as being in at least five provinces as well as the capital city, is testing the government’s emergency capabilities and forcing the closure of schools and some businesses.
The first case of the disease was reported last Thursday in Ulaanbaatar, with numbers increasing dramatically each day. Only ten of the 21 aimags have been able to confirm they do not have any cases of the disease.
While the disease is quite common and can be contained, authorities are concerned it could lead to deaths like in China, where 42 children have died and nearly 25,000 people have been infected.
As a result, the government has taken precautionary measures that
included quarantining elementary schools for an indefinite period from
Monday, closing some businesses frequented by children and cancelling
several public events.
While children are overwhelmingly those infected, some adults have been diagnosed with HFMD since the start of the week.
As well as Ulaanbaatar, the disease is confirmed in Orkhon Dundgobi,
Mandalgobi, Sukhbaatar, Khentii and Bulgan aimags. Hospitals in several
other aimags have reported having patients with symptoms of HFMD,
although the disease has not yet been verified.
The first case was reported on Thursday in Ulaanbaatar. Since then the
General Authority for Emergency Management (GAEM) has seen a rapid
escalation.
Deputy PM M.Enkhbold is heading an emergency committee to take measures
to prevent the spread of the epidemic, which yesterday agreed to a
proposal for Tg305 million in response aid.
“74 percent of the affected children are aged four years old,” Enkhbold said.
“The National Emergency Management Agency held meetings last weekend
and made some decisions and have established some procedures.
“In order to follow these, the Government of Mongolia budgeted Tg57.7
to the training, advertising, medicine and appropriate cleaning
equipment which is useful for prevention from this disease.”
The advertising budget the government has allocated will be on
television and radio soon and will educate the public on the dangers of
the disease.
No one has been killed by the disease to date, and at least 29 children
have fully recovered. While hundreds of the suspected patients have
been hospitalized, many others with lighter symptoms have been
quarantined at home.
Officials said the 250 beds it had dedicated to HFMD in the National Center for Studies of Infectious Diseases are full.
An overwhelming number of infected patients will recover from the disease within a few weeks.
Some of the businesses the government deemed as having a high-exposure
risk included small kiosks, some grocery stores, fitness centers and
computer gaming centers.
It is generally expected these businesses will not be compensated for having to close.
HFMD Symptoms
As can be seen throughout the city, children and some adults are now
wearing white facemasks to avoid contracting hand-foot-mouth disease.
It is one of several preventative steps experts are recommending young children take to avoid being infected with the disease.
While HFMD is quite common, what is concerning authorities is how
quickly this extremely contagious disease has developed – moving from a
single case last Thursday to a reported 457 late yesterday.
It is an intestinal virus, with the strain that is causing this
outbreak of HFMD reportedly Enterovirus 71 (EV71). It usually begins
with a slight fever and is then followed by blisters or ulcers in the
mouth and on the hands and feet.
However, in a small number of children it may cause high fever,
meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain), encephalitis
(inflammation of the brain itself), and paralysis.
Professor P.Nyamdavaa, a virus specialist and president of the
Mongolian Academy of Medicine, said if parents took basic precautions
their children would be safe.
“If parents take care of their children, their children will not be affected by this virus.
“There is no medicine for this disease in the world. But if we take
care of our children they will not be affected by the virus,” he said.
The usual time between contact with the virus and the development of the illness is approximately three to five days.
After a fever develops, it usually takes one to three days before
meningitis occurs, but paralysis can occur within 10 to 30 hours after
symptoms begin.
Good hygiene is the single most effective way of preventing the spread
of the disease, and hands should be washed thoroughly in soap and water
for at least 15 seconds and then dried thoroughly.
Individual cases and outbreaks of HFMD occur regularly worldwide,
although usually during the summer and early autumn. In the past
decade, major outbreaks of EV71 have been reported in southeast Asia,
including Malaysia in 1997 and Taiwan in 1998.
Young patients with symptoms of the disease should be taken to a doctor as soon as possible.
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