Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, Negros Occidental Provincial Health Officer, yesterday said health workers in the province have been instructed to remain vigilant for possible cases of the deadly Enterovirus-71 (EV-71), which has claimed the lives of at least 60 children in Cambodia since April this year.

They have also been instructed to report any suspected cases of EV-71, he said.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona has instructed the Department of Health National Epidemiology Center to include EV-71 infection as a notifiable disease in the country. This will compel all health providers, especially physicians, to report individual cases or even outbreaks to the DOH, he said.

The DOH and the World Health Organization clarified that the Cambodian EV-71 was of the encephalitis type and not hand, foot and mouth disease as earlier reported.

Affected Cambodian children generally had fever, followed by rapid respiratory deterioration and impaired consciousness. Death occurred 24 hours from hospital confinement, a DOH advisory said.

EV-71 causes different diseases of varying intensity. These include the often mild hand, foot and mouth disease, acute respiratory disease, acute flaccid paralysis (polio-like) and the deadly brainstem encephalitis. HFMD is characterized as a self-limiting illness, where one has a fever accompanied by skin lesions or rashes, Tumimbang said.

Proper disposal of baby diapers or human waste, strict personal hygiene and regular hand washing prevent viral spread. The virus is known to be excreted in the feces since it is found in human intestines, the DOH advisory said.

The DOH urges parents and daycare personnel to clean and disinfect toys and teaching tools that are easily shared with other children. This can prevent EV-71 infections, as there are no known effective drugs or vaccines, the advisory said.

“There is still no travel restriction to and from Cambodia and incoming passengers will be subjected to thermal screening upon arrival in all international airports as a routine quarantine procedure,” Ona said.*CPG

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