Getting to know the Singapore Flu, Symptoms, Causes, Treatment and Prevention

KOMPAS.com – Flu Singapore is one of the disease which is highly contagious, and vulnerable to attack children in a number of countries in Asia.

In the medical world, the Singapore Flu is known as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD). mouth.

Reporting from the official website of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), the Singapore Flu has been around since 1957 and first appeared in Toronto, Canada.

Known as the “Singapore Flu” because of its symptoms similar to fluand at that time in Singapore there were many cases and deaths from this disease.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) on its official website explained, HFMD generally attacks children more, but adults and people with good immune systems can also be infected. virus This HFMD.

However, in adults and people with a good immune system when infected with the Singapore Flu, there are no symptoms at all (asymptomatic).

Reason

HFMD is a disease caused by a virus of the Enterovirus genus.

The most common enterovirus species that cause HFMD are Coxsackievirus and Human Enterovirus 71 (HEV 71).

Symptoms

HFMD generally begins with several symptoms that are almost similar to the symptoms of other diseases, but this infection attacks and makes these symptoms worse, which in some cases even causes complications to occur.

IDAI and the Centers for Control and Prevention Disease (CDC) has informed some of the early symptoms of the Singapore Flu or HFMD to watch out for.

Fever
Sore throat or swallowing
Decreased appetite
Pain or not feeling well
Drooling more than usual
Just want to drink cold liquid
Rash on the palms of the hands and feet

After one to two days of fever, red spots will appear in the oral cavity which then break into canker sores.

Red spots in the oral cavity, usually starting at the back of the roof of the mouth.

IDAI explained that although there are abnormalities of the mucous membranes and skin in HFMD, mainly involving the oral cavity, palms and feet, but the rash can also occur on the legs, arms, buttocks and skin around the genitals.

These rashes from Singapore Flu usually look like flat red spots, sometimes with blisters.

The CDC says, this disease tends to attack more children aged 5 years and under.

Among children infected with Singapore Flu, they have symptoms of about 7 to 10 days of incubation.

Complications

Although it generally shows mild symptoms, in some cases HFMD can lead to severe complications.

Lesions in the mouth area can cause difficulty drinking and eating so that the child becomes dehydrated.

Several reports mention cases of severe HFMD such as meningitis or inflammation of the lining of the brain, and encephalitis which results in intensive care or even death.

Several studies have shown that HEV 71 is the most common strain that causes severe HFMD.

Several other case reports show that HFMD can cause complications in the form of loose fingernails and toenails and occurs several weeks after the acute phase of HFMD.

However, this abnormality is temporary and the nail can grow back.

Transmission

Patients with the Singapore Flu can spread the HFMD virus through nasal secretions (snot), throat (spit and phlegm), cracked skin lesions and feces (faeces).

The spread of this virus also easily occurs when:

There is close contact with the patient (talking, hugging, kissing)
Through the air (sneezing, coughing)
Contact with patient feces
Contact with objects or surfaces contaminated with the HFMD virus (holding door handles, table surfaces, furniture contaminated with the virus, etc.).

Patients with HFMD are generally highly infectious in the first week of illness.

Some patients may still transmit the virus days or weeks after the symptoms and signs of infection have disappeared.

Singapore Flu Diagnosis

To confirm the diagnosis of the Singapore Flu infection, health workers will examine the patient’s hands, feet and mouth.

Furthermore, there will be several initial screenings carried out by health workers, namely:

How old is the patient?
What symptoms does the patient experience?
Looking for how the appearance of rashes and thrush in patients?

In addition to the initial screening, the health worker or doctor in charge will sometimes collect samples from the patient’s throat, blisters, or feces, to be sent to a laboratory to test for the virus causing it, whether it’s HFMD or not.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for HFMD, treatment is symptomatic to overcome the complaints it causes.

Paracetamol can be given to treat fever and pain.

Warm compresses and frequent feedings also help reduce a child’s fever.

In older children, gargling with mouthwash can reduce pain from mouth sores.

Prevention

Outbreaks of HFMD can occur in various countries and are more often found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially in closed and crowded environments such as schools, orphanages, dormitories, Islamic boarding schools, and day care centers.

Because there is no cure for this disease, prevention is the best way to do it at this time.

Clean and healthy living behavior (PHBS) needs to be practiced to prevent transmission.

Efforts to prevent HFMD infection can be done by not spitting and touching the mouth and eyes at all, getting used to covering the nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing, and cleaning hands each time after touching dirty surfaces and before eating.

(Source: Kompas.com Writer Ellyvon Pranita | Editor Bestari Kumala Dewi)

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