KINGSTON, Jamaica, Sep 29 2015 – Minister of Education Ronald Thwaites is advising schools where children are affected by the hand, foot and mouth disease that it would be best if they remain closed until the children have recovered.
“We are talking about infant schools and basic schools; there are 2,600 of them in Jamaica. Our reports from SERHA (South East Regional Health Authority) is that there is an outbreak in nine of those schools, so it needs to be put in that perspective,” said Thwaites late yesterday. “What we do know is that it is very contagious and wherever there is an outbreak, the school would be better to suspend classes until the children are better.”
The painful hand, foot and mouth disease which causes fever and blisters on the tongue, cheek and skin, has been found among children in nine schools across the Corporate Area and St Catherine, forcing the closure of at least two of them.
“The Health Department in the respective parishes has been working closely with the schools to minimise the spread of the disease. The schools have also been given guidelines for the management of hand, foot and mouth disease, and public-health inspectors have been deployed to the schools to assess the situations,” noted Tanisha Lewis, public-relations officer at SERHA which is responsible for health facilities in the parishes
Yesterday, Chief Education Officer at the Ministry Of Education Grace McLean, said the ministry was still investigating the matter, but declined to name the schools affected.
