HFMD in Thailand, Cambodia confirmed to be of different genotypes

BANGKOK, july 11 (TNA) - The Ministry of Public Health has confirmed that the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Thailand is not as severe as and is of a different genotype from the viral strain spreading in Cambodia. Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Paijit Warachit told journalists that the HFMD in Thailand is of the B5 genotype of the enterovirus 71 strain, which is not virulent, but the HFMD in Cambodia is of the D4 genotype of the enterovirus 71 strain, which is fatal, and that all genotypes of the HFMD virus exist in all countries but only one-tenth of them is virulent. Dr. Paijit said that people should not panic as they can protect themselves and their children from the HFMD simply by frequently washing their hands, eating warm, well-cooked food, using serving spoons and not feeding themselves with their bare hands. The senior health official acknowledged that the HFMD patients will noticeably develop high fever in the first few days of illness, but with good treatment, they can fully recover, suggesting that health officials take special care of children in their respective areas during the rainy season. According to the senior Thai health authority, he was scheduled to have a teleconference with provincial health chiefs nationwide Wednesday afternoon to order them to prevent the spread of the HFMD from neighbouring Cambodia, where 64 patients have died. There are reportedly patients of the HFMD in many Thai provinces. In Trang province in the Thai South, Dr. Sombat Padungwitwattana, chief of epidemiology and disease prevention at Trang Hospital, said that there have been 200 HFMD patients this year, higher than last year, and that he has ordered strict precautions, especially at local nurseries. In Chaiyaphum province in the Northeast, 20 children were reported to have suffered from the HFMD and have sought treatment at local hospitals but their illness is not critical. The provincial situation is considered normal because the HFMD is endemic and can emerge at times. The number of patients in Chaiyaphum has, however, dropped from its figure in the corresponding period of last year. Meanwhile, trade at the Thai-Cambodian border in Chantaburi province in the Thai East has been continued as usual although Cambodian traders are concerned over the HFMD and have inquired about the situation and have monitored updates; while Thai traders now refrain from bringing their children with them in their business trips to Cambodia to prevent them from getting infected with the disease. (TNA)