Vietnam sees surge in childhood virus: Red Cross

[PeteC]

If it's on the rise there, it will be here also come the rainy season. I went through this with my daughter and her school in 2010. Although it manifests itself in a mild form with most kids, some in her school were hospitalized with severe cases. Her school was closed on a Friday and totally disinfected over that weekend. HFMD is not what you hear about that farm animals get, hoof & mouth disease, so don't be confused. Google it and read up on the tell tale signs of infection to be prepared, and in an effort to try to prevent it. Pete


Vietnam sees surge in childhood virus: Red Cross
AFPAFP – 3 hrs ago

http://news.yahoo.com/vietnam-sees-surg ... 14090.html

A girl affected by hand, foot and mouth disease, lies on a bed next to her father at a local pediatric hospital in the southern province of Dong Nai in 2011. Vietnam is seeing an "alarming rise" in deaths from a common childhood virus which has killed 11 babies and infants and sickened more than 15,000 others, the Red Cross said Tuesday.

Vietnam is seeing an "alarming rise" in deaths from a common childhood virus which has killed 11 babies and infants and sickened more than 15,000 others, the Red Cross said Tuesday.

In the first three months of 2012 the infection rate of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) was seven times higher than the same period last year, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.

"It is vital that this disease be brought under control as its victims -- small children -- are some of the most vulnerable," IFRC Vietnam representative, Bhupinder Tomar, said in a statement.

There is no specific treatment for the common disease, which typically causes little more than a fever and rash, but the risk of catching it is greatly reduced through good hygiene practices. No vaccine exists.

"The Red Cross is seeking help from international donors to stem the alarming rise in deaths among babies and pre-schoolers from Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease," the statement said.

It said more than $840,000 were needed for a new campaign to raise awareness of the importance of hand washing and covering mouths when coughing or sneezing.

"Proper hygiene practices prevent a whole range of communicable diseases, so there could be untold long-term benefits to families," Tomar said.

Vietnam's health ministry has previously urged provincial governments to fight the disease by improving hygiene in nursery schools.

[zingerhk]

All for the price of a few bombs we drop in the "next Vietnam" in Iraq