HAND, FOOT, AND MOUTH DISEASE, or HFMD, is a
contagious illness that is caused by different viruses. It is common in infants and
children younger than 5 years old. However, older children and adults can also get
HFMD.
Causative agents- hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is usually caused
by enterovirus 71 or coxsackievirus A16.
Coxsackievirus A6 (CAV6) is 1 of 10 genotypes within the
family Picornaviridae, genus Enterovirus, species Human enterovirus A. Other
genotypes include coxsackievirus A16 (CAV16) and enterovirus 71 (EV71).
Although CAV6 is commonly associated with hand, foot, and mouth disease
(HFMD) and herpangina (1,2), it has not been of concern until the recent
global outbreaks of HFMD
Signs and symptoms- Symptoms can include:
Mouth sores
Skin rash of flat red spots that may blister
Fever
Sore throat
Loss of appetite.
These symptoms usually appear in stages, not all at once. Not
everyone will have all of these symptoms. Some people may show no
symptoms at all, but they can still pass the virus to others.
Prevention - Prevention Tips
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds,
especially after changing diapers.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact such as kissing, hugging, and sharing cups and
eating utensils with people who have HFMD.
Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, including objects such as toys
and doorknobs.
Causes - Hand, foot, and mouth disease spreads easily through
Person to person contact
The air when an infected person coughs or sneezes
Contact with contaminated surfaces and objects
Incubation period- The incubation period of HFMD was typically described as about 3–7 days
SARS NA TAYO GURLL!!
WHAT IS SARS - Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a
viral respiratory illness that was recognized as a global threat in March 2003,
after first appearing in Southern China in November 2002.
Causative agents- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) This name
was chosen because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak
of 2003. While related, the two viruses are different.
This is a photomicrograph of an immunohistochemical stain of respiratory
tissue from a patient infected with SARS coronavirus, the causative agent of
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The red staining represents the
virus proteins.
Signs and symptoms- The initial symptoms are similar to influenza infection. Patients with
SARS usually begin with high fever (38°C or above), sometimes associated with chills, rigors,
headache, malaise, muscle pain or even diarrhoea. At the onset of illness, some patients may
only have mild respiratory symptoms. After a few days, symptoms of lower respiratory tract
infection may follow, including cough and difficulty in breathing. In around 10% of patients, the
illness may rapidly progress to respiratory failure requiring intensive medical care. Symptoms
can be more variable among elderly patients.
Prevention
There is no vaccine currently available. Maintain good personal and environmental
hygiene remains the most effective way to minimise the risk of contracting and
spreading the disease.
1. Maintain good personal hygiene
o Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth,
nose or eyes; after touching public installations such as handrails or
door knobs; or when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretion
after coughing or sneezing.
o Wash hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds.
Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel or hand
dryer. If hand washing facilities are not available, or when hands are
not visibly soiled, hand hygiene with 70 to 80% alcohol-based handrub
is an effective alternative.
o Cover your mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or
coughing. Dispose of soiled tissues into a lidded rubbish bin, then wash
hands thoroughly.
o When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from
work or attending class at school, avoid going to crowded places and
seek medical advice promptly.
o Build up good body immunity by having a balanced diet, regular
exercise, adequate rest, reducing stress, do not smoke and avoid
alcohol consumption.
2. Maintain good environmental hygiene
o Regularly clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces such as
furniture, toys and commonly shared items with 1:99 diluted household
bleach (mixing 1 part of 5.25% bleach with 99 parts of water), leave for
15-30 minutes, and then rinse with water and keep dry. For metallic
surface, disinfect with 70% alcohol.
o Use absorbent disposable towels to wipe away obvious contaminants
such as respiratory secretions, and then disinfect the surface and
neighbouring areas with 1:49 diluted household bleach (mixing 1 part of
5.25% bleach with 49 parts of water), leave for 15-30 minutes and then
rinse with water and keep dry. For metallic surface, disinfect with 70%
alcohol.
o Maintain good indoor ventilation.
Keep windows open to maintain good indoor ventilation;
Wash dust filters of air-conditioners frequently;
Maintain proper function of the air ventilation.
o Avoid going to crowded or poorly ventilated public places; high-risk
individuals may consider putting on surgical masks while in such
places.
o Maintain proper function of toilets, drains and pipes. U-trap should be
prevented from drying up and drain outlets should be disinfected
regularly (about once a week).
o Arrange immediate inspection and repair by qualified technicians if there
is a defect in the U-trap or smell of foul air is coming from drain outlets.
Causes- SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) – virus identified in 2003. SARS-CoV is thought to be an
animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet
cats) and first infected humans in the Guangdong province of southern China in 2002.
Incubation period- Symptoms usually appear within 2 to 7 days after contracting the
disease, but the incubation period can be up to approximately 10 days.
