A lawmaker wants to declare an outbreak of the hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in Batangas province and suspend classes due to rising cases.
Batangas 2nd District Rep. Jinky Luistro said that the Education Department should be proactive enough and suspend classes while waiting for the result of the investigation of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine on the HFMD cases.
“Ako ay nanawagan na sana ating mabilis na bigyan ng aksiyon bago pa po lumaganap ang HFMD na ito,” Luistro said in a report on ABS-CBN News.
“We understand na ongoing po ang face-to-face classes sa iba’t ibang paaralan at ang ikinakatakot ko ay baka mayroong positive carrier na sa loob ng paaralan and we are unaware that there is ongoing transmission already,” the lawmaker added.
The provincial government said that the local government units first must declare an outbreak before the province can declare it.
So far 80 cases have been detected in several towns of Batangas.
