Important Information: Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Bangkok

We have been informed by the Thai Ministry of Public Health that there have been several cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in Bangkok. 

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is a common childhood viral disease which cases fevers and blisters to form on the hands, feet and in the mouth (as well as other parts of the body). It is generally a mild illness but there can be complications with inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) which can be fatal. There are several different viruses that can cause this inflection so you can get it more than once. We have been told that the viral that is circulating at the moment is more likely to cause encephalitis than other strains. Additional information on Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is available on this link. 

At the moment we have NOT had any reported cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth at ISB. We want parents to be aware that there have been cases in the wider community and they should keep their child at home if they are unwell and take them to the doctor.

If we get any cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth in a class we will immediately notify parents and start screening student by checking their temperature and looking at their hands, feet and mouth for blisters on a daily basis. The classroom will get a “deep clean” on a daily basis which means all surfaces (including pencils, scissors etc) are cleaned.

If we get more than 3 cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease in a class we are required to close the class for 1 week (this is due to Thai Public Health Regulations).

At all times we encourage parents to ensure their child is eating a healthy diet and getting enough sleep at night as these have been shown to help the immune system fight infections.

To help prevent outbreaks of infections in school we ask all parents to keep their child at home if they are unwell. If they get diagnosed with an infectious disease please notify the school immediately (nurse@isb.ac.th). Any student who has been diagnosed with an infectious disease must present a medical certificate to the clinic stating they are fit to return to school and no longer contagious.