Kids at Ward 1 Kindergarten in HCM City wash their hands. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The HCM City Department of Education and Traininghas instructed managers of schools to take preventive measures against thespread of contagious disease among students.

Managers of schools should carry out strict surveillance to detect and isolatechildren, teachers and other staff who have a fever, cough, runny nose, or redrash.

These patients should stay at home and only resume going to school when theyare free from the symptoms to avoid transmitting the infection to others.

Students with a fever should be taken to the school’s medical room and theirparents will then be called to take them to a doctor for a health exam. 

Schools’ health officials must compile a list and report students withcontagious diseases to health stations in wards and communes, and healthcentres in districts.

Kindergarten teachers are required to ask parents about their children’s healthbefore they leave for school each morning.

School managers should ensure hygiene on their campus and disseminatepreventive measures to teachers and students.

According to the municipal Preventive Health Centre, 347 children contractedhand-foot-mouth disease from September 21-29, an increase of 114 against theprevious four weeks. Thirty-two people contracted measles, an increase of 17compared to the previous four weeks.

The city’s Department of Health is working with the Department of Education andTraining to monitor contagious diseases at schools, especiallyhand-foot-mouth diseases in kindergarten and nurseries.

Late last week, the health department carried out an unannounced inspection abouthygiene and other preventive measures against the disease among severalkindergartens in the city.

At Ward 1 Kindergarten in District 10, where two children were diagnosed withhand-foot-mouth disease, the school’s managers took preventive measures, includingdisinfection.

The two children, who had a fever and sore throat, stayed home and did notattend school.

Dr Nguyen Huu Hung, Vice Director of the Department of Health, instructedkindergarten teachers to urge children to wash their hands more regularly.

Toys and other devices in the kindergarten should also be disinfected.

The neighbouring province of Binh Duong has also seen an upward trend ofhand-foot cases since August.

In August and September, the province saw more than 2,400 incidences of thedisease, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total since the beginning ofthe year.

Theඣ provincial Department of Education and Training in cooperation with healthofficials have improved communication among teachers and staff about the needfor preventive measures.-VNS/VNA