Parents at Hudson Park Primary School have expressed relief and gratitude over the school’s swift and proactive handling of reported cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) among pupils last week.
Hudson Park Primary principal Garth Lumb confirmed that to date, three pupils had been diagnosed with HFMD but emphasised that they were recovering well. The outbreak was first discovered among two grade 5 pupils last week as mentioned in a letter to parents sent out on February 20.
Since then, no further cases have been reported at the school.
Lumb said: “At Hudson Park Primary School, the health and well-being of our pupils and staff remain our priority and upon confirmation of the cases, we implemented additional hygiene measures across the school, including enhanced cleaning of shared spaces and reinforcing awareness about hygiene practices among pupils and staff.”
The school said it has been in contact with health professionals and continued to monitor the situation closely.
Parents have commended the school for its transparency and proactive measures. One father said: “We appreciate that the school handled the situation quickly and communicated with parents through various means.
“I’m not too worried because teachers are reminding the children to wash their hands regularly, and that makes a difference.”
Despite the outbreak, attendance at the school has remained stable, and all scheduled school activities, including assemblies and sports events, continue as planned.
However, Lumb assured parents that the school remained flexible and would adjust its approach if necessary to safeguard the school community’s health.
The HFMD outbreak has been a growing concern in East London and surrounding areas, with the Eastern Cape department of health confirming 13 cases across four educational centres in the Buffalo City metro. While the disease is contagious, the department has called for calm, noting that HFMD is generally mild and self-limiting, with recovery expected within seven to 10 days.
Education officials have reported 10 cases at Stirling Primary, while some schools, such as Berea Primary, have introduced stricter hygiene practices, including increased hand sanitising and pupil education on disease prevention.
The Buffalo City metro has urged school principals and daycare operators to remain vigilant, immediately report suspected cases, and work with health officials to manage the outbreak.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said HFMD usually occurs in small outbreaks at crèches and day-care centres during summer and autumn and may be spread through contaminated objects such as toys and stationery and faeces.
While it is not common in adults, people with weak immune systems may be prone to infection.
HFMD is spread from person to person by direct contact or by droplets from the mouth or nose of an infected person.
Common signs and symptoms include fever, sore throat, tiredness, loss of appetite, small blisters on the inside of the mouth, sides of the tongue, palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
Treatment is of individual symptoms such as fever and pain from sores.
Affected individuals are encouraged to rest and drink plenty of water. The infection usually clears without medication.
A small minority of individuals with HMFD may need to be admitted to hospital for treatment of complications.
Teachers and parents should encourage good hygiene such as regular handwashing and not sharing eating utensils, regularly cleaning surfaces and other shared items such as toys and stationery.
Children should avoid direct contact with people who are ill.
The disease should not be confused with foot and mouth disease (FMD), which is affecting cattle and other animals in some parts of the Eastern Cape but is not dangerous to humans.
