MANILA: The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) said on Saturday (Aug 23) that it has tallied 37,368 cases of highly contagious hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) from January to Aug. 9, seven times higher than the same period last year.
The agency said around 50 per cent of the cases were detected in children aged one to three years old.
The DOH reminded Filipinos that HFMD is a highly contagious viral illness that typically affects infants and young children, causing symptoms like fever, painful mouth sores and a rash with blisters on the hands, feet and buttocks. It spreads through close contact with an infected person's saliva, mucus, blister fluid or faeces. - Xinhua
