Boy hit by mild EV-71, recovers

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) reported yesterday that a 19-month-old boy from Davao City tested positive for Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), but officials said the local strain is mild compared to the virus that killed 54 children in Cambodia in recent months.  

Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the boy was brought to a local health facility but was sent home and has “since recovered very well.”

Ona said the boy, whose identity was withheld, had manifested fever and rashes on his hands, soles of the feet, mouth, and buttocks last July 6.  

“It’s not surprising for me. I’m not surprised because all along, EV-71 has been here in the country. It has been seen among Filipinos since 10 years ago. It is just different from what is in Cambodia because it is not fatal. It is a mild EV-71,” he said.

The boy is among eight patients, including a female, whom the DOH investigated for manifesting symptoms similar to hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). Six of the patients have tested positive for the human enterovirus during the screening procedures done at the DOH-run Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Alabang, Muntinlupa. 

They will be tested further for coxsackie A16, another virus that can cause HFMD.

“These patients have mild disease and presented with fever followed by appearance of skin lesions in the hands, feet and mouth. Five were admitted to the hospital while the rest were sent home. Four of those who were admitted already went home after a brief stay in the wards,” Ona added.

He said the boy from Davao City had no history of travel abroad and no one from his family and his barangay have manifested HFMD symptoms. 

Ona said the DOH would continue monitoring the health of the people within the boy’s circle.

Cambodia’s cases were infectious for about a month.

Ona said the country’s EV-71 could be different from the Cambodian strain because a virus could mutate or modify itself.

“That’s also what we call difference in the presentation and reaction of a population in a particular disease. The condition of your health and immunity also play a role in all of this,” he said. 

Be vigilant

Ona has urged the public “not to worry but to know that the situation can worsen” if the people are not vigilant.

“Nobody knows what will happen next. So we really have to remain vigilant by observing personal hygiene and sanitation, by washing our hands. We should make sure that the toys of our children are clean. Try to keep yourself healthy,” he added.

In 1998, EV-71 broke out in Taiwan, killing 78 individuals with HFMD. There was also an outbreak of the infection in South Korea in 2009, affecting 94 individuals and in Singapore in 2000. 

The website of the Atlanta-based Center for Disease Prevention and Control describes EV-71 as a common cause of HFMD that “sometimes causes severe neurologic complications, mainly in children.” 

International experts are worried that EV-71 will replace polio as they both affect the nervous system.

The world is on its way to eliminating polio which now affects only four countries – Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria.

Malacañang allayed fears of the possible spread of EV-71 following the health department’s confirmation of a boy in Davao City who tested positive for the virus.

“There’s no cause for concern,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

“It’s not the same strain as Cambodian enterovirus. It’s HFMD. That’s a different strain from a virus that was reported in Cambodia and the boy (in Davao) has been treated,” he explained.

In an attempt to reassure Filipinos of the DOH’s expertise in handling such cases, Lacierda even reminded the public that the World Health Organization (WHO) had commended local doctors for their handling of the dreaded SARS disease, or severe acute respiratory syndrome.

“The WHO commended the Philippines for its handling of the SARS, for our preparation for SARS before. And so the DOH is fully capable of addressing any concerns on the enterovirus,” he stressed. With Delon Porcalla, AP