Parents complicate HFMD

IPOH: The mere mention of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) terrifies parents.

Part-time education consultant Elizabeth Ng said she felt helpless whenever she was informed of HFMD cases at her daughters’ kindergarten.

“I’m very paranoid. Due to my kids having eczema, I always have with me an antiseptic, which I spray on tables and seats before allowing them to sit.

“I also forbid them from playing at indoor playgrounds. They can only play at places where there is natural sunlight.

“But even so, I’m afraid there is really no way parents can prevent their children from getting HFMD and other illnesses, not when other parents insist on letting their sick children attend school.

“I’ve seen children with dots all over their mouth shopping with their parents,” she said.

Ng added that while she could not do anything about the selfish attitudes of other parents, the only thing she could do was to let her children skip school for several days.

Likewise, Yap Chia Ee, 38, keeps her five-year-old son at home whenever a case as serious as HFMD occurs at his school.

“But it always gets me thinking, why should my son be the one missing out on his lessons when it is the sick child who should be kept away from school.

“Parents whose children are sick most often give the excuse they have to work or that there is no one to look after their children.

“Well, the reality is that everyone has to work.

“Unlike them, we do the right thing by sacrificing our leave, some of us even take unpaid leave to take care of our sick children because we don’t want them infecting others in school,” said Yap.

She said she had been reminding her son to wash his hands before eating and not to share food with others.

The principal of a kindergarten here said it was standard practice for teachers to disinfect classrooms each morning as a precaution against infectious diseases.

“In the event of a known or even suspected case of HFMD, we disinfect the classrooms, including the pencils used by the children, twice a day,” she said.

The principal added that whenever children were absent for two days, their teacher was required to call the parents to find out the reason.

“The teacher will advise the pa­­rents to keep their child at home if it is something serious. Unfortunately, not all parents are cooperative.”

She said some even lied that their child did not have HFMD and sent the child to school after the fourth day when, in fact, the quarantine period for HFMD was 10 days.