Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

[positano]

Hi,

Can anyone enlighten me on why Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease seems to be so prevalent in Singapore? Is it the climate, poor hygiene etc? I had only heard of rare cases of HFMD when I was at home.

[Vaucluse]

It's spreading here in Malaysia as well . . . parents freak every time their little ones have a fever . . . had ours checked twice already.

It's not just Singapore, it's all over the place.

[rodandhelen]

Yea apparently the UK has been having it too

[smsnicholas]

i was a victim of HFMD a couple years back, its really terrible.

[positano]

thanks for your replies. i had a freak out last nite cos one of my friends has HFMD and i thought i caught it from her but it turned out to b a false alarm. i know HFMD has appeared in Australia but i think the outbreaks aren't as widespread or as common. it seems to be very common here which is worrying

[Callalily]

FHMD can be found anywhere. My children had it recently and it was quite mild.

[positano]

i recall attending a talk in Singapore for newbies to Singapore where a GP from the International Medical Clinic said that HFMD is a common disease here to look out for (compared to back home) but she didn't say why.

in my opinion, it still seems to be more prevalent in Asia. no one has been able to answer my question yet about why this is. i'll ask my GP next time i see her.

btw i found these articles about the HFMD outbreaks in Asia :
http://www.who.int/csr/don/1998_07_04/en/
http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentHandF ... hAsia.aspx