BORONGAN CITY (PIA) -- The Borongan City Health Office (CHO) through its Epidemiology Officer, Dr. John Kelly Cainday, declared that there is an outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in this city during a press conference on March 9, 2023 at the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) Conference Room, Borongan City.

According to Dr. Cainday, his office was alerted of the increasing cases of HFMD in the city.

"In the past four morbidity weeks since January 2023, there are already recorded cases of HFMD. The first recorded cases started in Brgy. Campesao, then in Brgy. Balud, and later on spread in the northern barangays of Bugas, Sta. Fe, Canjaway, and Tabunan," Cainday said.

Cainday revealed that out of the 61 barangays in the city, there are 33 barangays or 54% which are already affected by the virus.

He also disclosed that children aged 10 years old and below are those who are mostly affected by HFMD, though the adult population can also acquire the disease and transmit the virus.

He further revealed that there are two strains of the virus: the Coxsackie virus, and the Enterovirus, and that the latter is the more severe one because it can result in meningitis and even death.

"HFMD disease can be treated, what we want to avoid is mortality and what we want to decrease is morbidity," Cainday said. (LDL/SDC/PIA E. Samar)