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Tuesday, April 21, 2009,2:20 AM

Straits Times E-Forum Reflection Term 2, Week 3

Article: “HFMD cases near epidemic level”– ‘Home’ Section (Pg B3)

Q1:
How does HFMD spread and what are some of the preventive measures that the childcare centres and kindergartens have taken to ensure that the disease is contain?
Answer: HFMD usually affect mainly children aged 10 years and younger, and is spread through bodily fluids. This is why it can be passed quickly among young children who share toys that they may have put into their mouths.

Childcare centres and kindregartens have taken some preventive measures to ensure that the disease is contain. For example, the Church of the Holy Trinity Kindergarten in Tampines is spending an extra $400 more than the usual to clean its premises every quarter. Other kindergartens is also sanitised and thoroughly cleaned before every session to avoid of last year's incident, when the center had to shut for 10 days. Usual health screening and cleaning measures are also in place. Furthermore, children in childcare centres and kindergartens have been drilled into a routine of heading straight to the toilet to wash up and clean theri hands with a sanitiser before classes and meals. Children with ulcers, spots and fever are sent home and their parents are also told to take them to a doctor.

Q2:
In your opinion, what implications will the childcare centres face if the HFMD issue escalates further?
Answer: In my opinion, the childcare centres will have to face several implications if the HFMD issue escalates further. The childcare centres may have to close down so as to thoroughly clean the whole area to make sure that the disease is entirely wipe out, and perhaps longer than the previous case (10 days). Also, parents might press charges against the centre or make complains because they are unhappy that their child contracted the disease. Soon, some parents will want to let their children stay at home to play safe. And consequentially, the centres will lose a lot of children resulting in lesser payments from parents. The workers will earn a smaller amount of income. Thus, if the HFMD issue should escalate further, not only the children gets affected, everybody involved (the parents and the workers) will also get affected.

-DONE-

Labels: ST reflection term 2, week 3