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SCRUB DOWN: Mr Ramamoorthi, 38, a cleaner, gives the children's toilet at the Ramakrishna Mission Sarada Kindergarten a thorough clean-up. -- ST PHOTO: EDWIN KOO
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AS PRESCHOOLS and childcare centres across Singapore close their doors amid an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has begun providing daily updates on new cases, breaking from its routine of weekly bulletins.
Between Saturday and 3pm yesterday, 880 new cases of the common childhood virus were reported, bringing the year's total to 8,440.
While weekly figures still show a rising trend, there are signs that the spread of the virus could be slowing. The number of patients falling sick has dropped in each of the last four days, bottoming out at 46 yesterday.
In the wake of the outbreak, at least 16 schools have, or will be, closed. Another nine were asked to voluntarily pull down the shutters, including six that were added to the list yesterday.
Meanwhile, yesterday was also the first day of spring cleaning at the shuttered schools.
Teachers, principals, caregivers and administrative staff rolled up their sleeves to swab the centres from top to bottom. The disinfection is designed to halt the transmission of HFMD, spread through saliva, blister fluid, faeces and occasionally droplets in the air.
At PCF Tampines East, which was asked to voluntarily close, professionals were called in to service air-conditioners and fumigate the premises.
'We are making sure that every single corner of the centre is clean,' said general manager Benny Yeo.
While the side effects of HFMD are normally mild, the emergence of a potentially lethal strain of the virus has worried health officials. The bug, enterovirus 71 (EV71), killed seven children here in an outbreak in 2000 and 2001. Checks show this strain has caused 19 per cent of this year's cases.
Despite the warnings and a $215,000 public awareness campaign, some parents remained indifferent to the risk of their children coming down with the illness.
Housewife Marissa Koh, 40, told The Straits Times she was not worried about her three-year-old daughter as she felt that a bout would boost her immunity.
Financial controller Jarol Lo, 43, said he found it a 'waste of time' to have his five-year-old boy at home.
'He needs to continue with his education and this will be a good time for him to build up his immune system too,' said Mr Lo.
But doctors warned that unlike chicken pox, which is caused by a single virus, HFMD actually has over 60 different strains.
Dr Wendy Sinnathamby, a consultant paediatrician with the Children's Medical Institute at the National University Hospital, said children will develop immunity only to the strain they contract.
'But the child can still catch HFMD caused by another strain,' she said. 'So mums should not have HFMD parties, like having chicken-pox parties, to boost their children's immunity.'
Some parents are not taking any chances. While PCS Jurong West Centre will be closed from today, fewer than half of its charges turned up for school yesterday.
'The virus seems to be spreading fast. One day doesn't make a difference, so we decided to keep our children at home,' said Mr Tan Lai Soon, a managing director with two children at the centre.
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