HFMD disease alert in Bangkok | Bangkok Post: learning

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With hand, foot & mouth disease (HFMD) outbreaks in Cambodia & China killing many children, govt acts to control spread of disease.

In photo above medical staff examine students for signs of hand, foot and mouth disease. Up to 52 kindergarten children in Yala municipality have contracted the disease forcing the school to close (Photo: Muhammad Ayub Pathan)

Read article on what to do if the disease strikes here.

See Bangkok Post breaking news for latest updates: cases nationwide, Nan province, city schools closed & China.


Click button to listen to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease to download


HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH

Sathit Chula suspends classes

17/07/2012

Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School (Sathit Chula) has suspended all classes from today after some of its students contracted hand, foot and mouth disease.

The school, in Bangkok's Pathumwan district, announced yesterday HFMD has spread from Prathom 1 (Grade 1) students to those in Prathom 2 and 3.

Classes were called off to curb the outbreak.

The school will give more details of the outbreak today.

None of the children affected by the outbreak in Thailand have contracted the virulent strain of HFMD that has killed more than 50 children in Cambodia.

Meanwhile, officials in Surin have been told to turn Cambodian children away at Chong Chom border checkpoint in a bid to prevent the potentially deadly enterovirus type 71 (EV-71) strain from entering the country.

Many Cambodian vendors who enter Thailand to work at Chong Chom market bring their children with them. Some send their kids to kindergartens while they work while others let their children roam around the market.

All nursery schools under the supervision of the Dan Tambon Administration Organisation in Kap Choeng district have been closed for cleaning and disinfecting.

Officials in provinces bordering Cambodia and Laos have been told to monitor the situation.

A kindergarten in Ubon Ratchathani municipality has reported cases of its pupils contracting a less virulent strain.

Ubon Ratchathani, which borders both Laos and Cambodia, is among seven provinces in the lower Northeast where 624 HFMD cases were reported between Jan 1 and July 7.

Epidemiology Bureau chief Pasakorn Akarasewi believes the spread of HFMD in Cambodia may slow in the next 30 to 45 days. He said authorities there believe they can get the disease under control.

Dr Pasakorn said 13,000 HFMD cases were reported across Thailand in the first six months of this year.

(Source: Bangkok Post, HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH, Sathit Chula suspends classes, 17/07/2012, link) 


Disease Outbreak Vocabulary

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) - a common disease in infants and children: "moderately contagious and is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, or feces of an infected person. It typically occurs in small epidemics in nursery schools or kindergartens, usually during the summer and autumn months. The usual incubation period is 3–7 days. It is less common in adults, but those with immune deficiencies are very susceptible" (See Wikipedia)

enterovirus type 71 (EV-71) - the virus causing hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), can also cause diarrhea, rashes and severe neurological disease (See Wikipedia)

virus - "a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria" (See Wikipedia)

2012 EV-71 outbreak in Cambodia- (See Wikipedia)

outbreak - the sudden start of something bad such as a disease, a war, violence, etc. การระบาดของโรค
disease outbreak
outbreak of a disease

epidemiology - the study of  how diseases develop, spread and affect populations of people (See Wikipedia)

alert - when people are told about something that could be dangerous (and they take precautions to prevent it from happening)
disease alert - when people are told about a disease outbreak that could become dangerous
HFMD disease alert

strain - a type of living thing (examples: strain of bacteria, virus, plant, insect, animal)
enterovirus type 71 (EV-71) strain 

virulent - dangerous bacteria or form of a disease; with a strong and quick affect on people; making very sick and sometimes killing (See Wikipedia) 
virulent strain

a virulent strain of HFMD
a less virulent strain

contract a disease - to get sick with a disease; become sick with a disease

contracted hand, foot and mouth disease
contracting a less virulent strain

suspended - stopped for a period of time (temporarily)
suspend classes

Sathit Chula suspends classes

spread - to reach or have an effect on a wider or increasing area or number of people กระจายไปทั่ว
disease spreads - more people caught the disease; became sick with the disease

curb - stop or reduce ลดหรือยุติ ระงับ to control or limit something that is harmful ระงับ, ควบคุม
curb outbreak

Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School (Sathit Chula) has suspended all classes from today after some of its students contracted hand, foot and mouth disease. The school, in Bangkok's Pathumwan district, announced yesterday HFMD has spread from Prathom 1 (Grade 1) students to those in Prathom 2 and 3. Classes were called off to curb the outbreak. The school will give more details of the outbreak today.

border - the official line separating two areas, regions or countries เขตแดน อาณาเขต
checkpoint - a place where people are stopped and questioned and vehicles are examined, especially at a border between two countries ด่านตรวจ

border checkpoint - the place at the border between two countries where people and goods coming into the country are checked

bid - an attempt to do something; trying to do something ความพยายาม
in a bid to ... - trying to do ... ; attempting to do ...

potentially - possibly เป็นไปได้ possible in the future ที่อาจเกิดขึ้นได้
potentially deadly - you can die from it; it can kill people

None of the children affected by the outbreak in Thailand have contracted the virulent strain of HFMD that has killed more than 50 children in Cambodia. Meanwhile, officials in Surin have been told to turn Cambodian children away at Chong Chom border checkpoint in a bid to prevent the potentially deadly enterovirus type 71 (EV-71) strain from entering the country.

vendors - people who sell things, e.g., food or newspapers, usually outside on the street พ่อค้าแม่่ค้าหาบแร่แผงลอย people who sell things from a small stall, cart, or store or  in a market

nursery school - a school for young children between the ages of three and five อนุบาล
kindergarten - Same as "nursery school"

roam around - to move or travel around in no particular direction เดินโดยปราศจากจุดหมาย เดินทางท่องเที่ยวโดยปราศจากจุดหมาย

Many Cambodian vendors who enter Thailand to work at Chong Chom market bring their children with them. Some send their kids to kindergartens while they work while others let their children roam around the market.

supervision - watching and controlling some activity; the process of making sure that something is being done properly การควบคุมดูแล การตรวจตรา
under the supervision of

disinfect (verb) - to make very clean by using chemicals that kill bacteria (See Wikipedia)
disinfectant (noun) - a chemical used to disinfect things and areas

monitor - to regularly check something or watch something to find out what is happening ตรวจ, ติดตาม, เฝ้าสังเกต ตรวจสอบ ตรวจตรา   เฝ้าดู จับตาดู เฝ้าจับตาดู
monitor the situation

municipality - a town, city or district with its own local government เทศบาล
Ubon Ratchathani municipality

pupils - students
authorities - government officials; the police or people in official organisations who have the legal power to make people obey laws or rules เจ้าหน้าที่ (ตำรวจ หรือผู้มีอำนาจ)

All nursery schools under the supervision of the Dan Tambon Administration Organisation in Kap Choeng district have been closed for cleaning and disinfecting.  Officials in provinces bordering Cambodia and Laos have been told to monitor the situation. A kindergarten in Ubon Ratchathani municipality has reported cases of its pupils contracting a less virulent strain. Ubon Ratchathani, which borders both Laos and Cambodia, is among seven provinces in the lower Northeast where 624 HFMD cases were reported between Jan 1 and July 7. Epidemiology Bureau chief Pasakorn Akarasewi believes the spread of HFMD in Cambodia may slow in the next 30 to 45 days. He said authorities there believe they can get the disease under control. Dr Pasakorn said 13,000 HFMD cases were reported across Thailand in the first six months of this year.

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