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By Halshane Burke
The Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is urging parents and guardians to exercise increased vigilance following a surge in hand, foot and mouth disease cases across the region.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a contagious illness caused by several viruses, primarily affecting infants and children under five, although adults are also susceptible.
Symptoms include fever, mouth sores and rashes on the hands and feet. The disease spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, contaminated surfaces, and the faecal-oral route.
Medical epidemiologist for the WRHA, Dr. Maung Aung, says 318 hand, foot and mouth disease cases were reported from January to late October , representing a 106.5 per cent jump from the 154 cases reported during the similar period in 2023.
Dr. Aung says trends from 2021 to 2023 indicate that the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases generally increases between September and November of each year.
As of October 26, Trelawny accounted for nearly half of the hand, foot and mouth disease cases, with 156 cases or 49 per cent of the total.
This is followed by Westmoreland with 71 cases, St. James, 66 and Hanover with 25 cases.
The majority of cases, 84 per cent, are in children under five, with a gender distribution of 47 per cent males and 52 per cent females.
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