Mayor Matthew Louis “Matt” Malacon on Friday, July 11, urged EB Magalona, Negros Occidental, residents to remain calm despite reports of suspected Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease (HFMD) in eight of the town’s barangays.
There is “no cause for alarm yet” as these 18 cases are still awaiting official laboratory confirmation from the Department of Health (DOH), Malacon said in a press statement.
“I acknowledge that this issue is quite concerning,” Malacon said, so “we are now doing the best we can to contain the spread of the suspected HFMD cases.”
Malacon has instructed Municipal Health Officer Dr. Edmundo Janeo, Jr. to intensify efforts in verifying the reported HFMD cases.
As a precautionary measure, classes in all day care centers and schools with suspected cases throughout EB Magalona have been suspended since Thursday, he said.
This suspension facilitated immediate disinfection procedures, carried out in strict accordance with protocols from the DOH, Provincial Health Office (PHO), and Municipal Health Office (MHO).
NO OUTBREAK
The mayor denied rumors of an HFMD outbreak in EB Magalona. “It’s not true,” he asserted.
“I am not in authority to confirm whether the reported cases are indeed HFMD since the Municipal Health Office has the mandate to declare an outbreak as per DOH Department Memorandum No. 2023 – 0103. More so that I am not in the position to declare an outbreak”, he said.
As of Friday, July 11, the town’s health office has not made any official declaration of an outbreak.
CALL FOR VIGILANCE AND HYGIENE
“We don’t want to sow fear among our constituents. We don’t want Saraviahanons to panic,” Malacon said.
“Rather, we want everyone to stay calm as we wait for the final results of the confirmatory test from DOH”, he said.
He also urged all Saraviahanons to maintain good personal hygiene as a crucial preventive measure against HFMD and other emerging viral or bacterial diseases.
SPECIAL BODY FORMED
Vice Mayor Marvin Malacon has been appointed to head a special body tasked with further investigating the matter, the mayor said.
“Rest assured that we will make an official announcement once we get an official confirmation from DOH or PHO on whether the reported suspected cases are really HFMD or not”, the mayor added.*