Viral outbreak sends pupils home

Acting Gert Maritz Primary School principal, Christa van der Walt, said she was informed last week by a letter from a mother who said her son (Grade 7) had been diagnosed with HFMD. A second pupil (Grade 6) arrived this week with similar symptoms and was sent home, The Witness reported.

Van der Walt informed the department of health immediately and was told it was an isolated case. The school refused to comment on the matter on Wednesday when asked if more children at the school had been infected, saying nothing should be further reported on the issue.

This after two children at Siembamba Pre-primary presented symptoms of the disease last month and were sent home.

Dr Karen Koch, a general practitioner with a background in wellness promotion, disease management and managed health care, said the disease was a viral infection that caused outbreaks in young children from time-to-time and very occasionally infected adults.

“The infection is often confused with the similarly named virus ‘foot-and-mouth disease’, which infects cattle, sheep and swine but does not affect humans,” said Koch.

Preschools in the north of Johannesburg experienced an outbreak of HMFD in 2012.

Parents of toddlers attending Hugs and Kisses Creche Educare Centre in Sunninghill received letters informing them of a number of confirmed cases of HFMD among children.

National Institute for Communicable Diseases communications manager Nombuso Shabalala warned that parents should look out for fever, eruption of sores in the mouth and a non-itchy rash on the hands and feet.

“A small minority of individuals with HMFD may need to be admitted to hospital for treatment of complications. Infected individuals with severe disease or complications must go to the nearest healthcare facility,” said Shabalala.

To prevent the spread of the disease, Shabalala said: “Educators and parents should encourage good hygiene such as regular hand washing and not sharing eating utensils like cutlery, cups, and toothbrushes.”