HFMD outbreak (Hand Foot Mouth Disease)

Recently, Straits Times reported that HFMD incidences are peaking again :(
Parents whose kids are in childcare center will be praying hard for their kids to stay healthy.

We do not know when our child will be infected !
..and we can only hope for all parties ( teachers, parents and kids) to practice good hygiene routine.

From personal experience, it is very demoralising to bring your kids daily to school, and discover another classmate down with illness, one more added to infection statistic.
(16 cases and MOH will force school to close).



Traditionally, HFMD used to breakout after kids return from their holidays, but this time round, the disease has decided to pop up earlier. We blogged about the “bochap” and “selfish” parents back in 2010
Read --> http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2010/08/hand-foot-mouth-disease-hfmd-go-away.html

If you see parents bringing their sick kids to school, sound the Alarm, tell the parents off, or at the very least, escalate to the teachers and principal.
Teachers are the gatekeepers, but we understand some parents are very inconsiderate (不自动).
Just because they cannot take leave, they will bring their sick child to school, maybe infecting the other kids !

Teachers can highlight importance of hygiene, and reinforce good hygiene practices by asking kids to wash their hands regularly (and sanitizing).

..but we just need one irresponsible parent to bring a sick child to school..
.. and the rest is history...


=== === === ===

It sucks, when you are a responsible parent, but is indirectly affected because of some selfish parents.
For parents with more than one kid, the family now risk having another innocent child affected !!

Extracted from --> http://www.hpb.gov.sg/health_articles/hfmd,
do not bring your kids to school if they exhibit the following symptoms :

· fever
· sore throat
· ulcers in the throat, mouth and tongue
· headache
· a rash with vesicles (small blisters, 3-7 mm) on hands, feet and diaper area. The vesicles are typically on the palm side of the hands the sole side of the feet and very characteristic in appearance
· loss of appetite

=== === === ===
More information can be found at MOH website too
http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/moh_web/home/diseases_and_conditions/h/hand_foot_mouth_disease.html


Take care.

.

Baby girl always look for Mummy, true or not?

When little girl is sick, do they cling more to Mummy? Our Wen Xin is no exception. She is now an expert at using telephone thermometer.



Have to warn everybody that Boon Xin was scratching an itch on her foot with the thermometer... yucks.


Video : Mummy playing hide and Seek? Actually Daddy need to Convince her that Mummy is really not at home.



Ironically, Daddy always blog about Wen Xin when she is sick :(


.

our Pet gecko is missing, please help

Our pet is missing, but we know he will be crawling around in the dark.
How did he manage to sneak into our house in the first place?


It is troubling to imagine how our pet will be kissing our utensils, and even milk bottles ! yucks !!

We caught it's uncle last time --> http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/08/resident-evil-gecko-ji3-leng2.html

Mind sharing your cockroach and gecko hunting tips?

How can Daddy not love you, Ah Xin?

Little girl is sick, Fever

When she turns cranky, she needs 100% attention

One moment ok, the next listless

You could never tell from this pictures that she is sick :(

Her innocence shines through

Deeply focus on her toys

Get well soon, Girl


Video : she tries to snatch my camera


Daddy still has to keep her toys.


Love you,
Daddy

.

Wen Yi fell down :(

Despite repeated naggings, kids still insist on jumping on bed.
Today, Wen Yi fell and knock head first into cabinet.
From the hall, we can hear someone fell with a thud, then after 1 second, "bom".

Luckily, it was only a small cut, and no stitching is necessary.
We quickly apply ice pack to his bump to prevent swelling.
Now Wen Yi got a Harry Potter "Z" on his forehead.

"Bystanders" brothers were given a lecture, as they had been too englossed watching TV, and fail to notice that Wen Yi could be in danger.

If kids listen and "remember" their parents' naggings, most incidence can be prevented. Alas, most kids have been programmed to ignore and disobey ! (including yours truly)

We are worried for our very active Wen Xin. She is another commando.

Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) - Go Away !

HFMD, together with Chicken Pox and H1N1, always send shivers down every parents!
When there is an outbreak, everybody tense up.
We read about increasing cases, new HFMD records, and you start thinking about the "WILL.." and the "WHEN..."!!


In the event of an outbreak, teachers and parents must work together to clamp down, and break the germ's cycle. Looking at the pictures below , maybe we can guess why this disease is called HFMD?

However, Daddy suspect the weakest link is always We parents.
..complacent, ignorant or even bochap (nonchalant).

Some misconception about HFMD
- I got it before, so there will be resistance
- adult cannot get it, or transmits the germs to children
- if my kids do not attend childcare, we are safe ( parents forget common playgrounds)

Please visit these sites for the facts and latest updates :
http://hpb.gov.sg/
http://moh.gov.sg/

Yet when we ask the parents, everybody know about HFMD's symptoms!
..yes, the usual fevers, rashes, blisters, ulcers.
Hey, we even know how the germs are tranmitted via fluids, and close contacts!!

..but Parents fail to follow up with medical consultation, when they suspect their kid is unwell. They will risk putting their sick child in childcare,
potentially triggering a second wave of HFMD cycles!

Personal hygiene should be practised, with or without any disease outbreaks.
Video : wash our hands (thoroughly)


Do we really need our kids to teach us about basic hygiene?
Read how Learning-Vision and Singapore-OK 洗洗手.
http://sengkangbabies.blogspot.com/2009/06/singapore-ok-wei-on-tv8-as-hygiene.html

Boys.Girl, go and wash your hands now !!

Credit..images above are taken from hpb.gov.sg

.

Wen Yi is sick - Bronchitis

MC for two days.
Poor boy, his fevers come and go.


Hope he recovers soon.
Meanwhile, cars and nebulizer are his buddies, to keep him company.

Yi is down with fever

Wen Yi started having coughs since Tuesday.
Yesterday evening, he started to have mild fever.

We thought he has recovered and sent him to school today.
But Daddy had to bring him home, after his fever flare up.

At home, Yi has all the cars and carpark for himself. No one to contend with him.

Video : Boy playing car

Yi went to sleep, and his fever raised to 39.6 degrees.
Daddy gve him brufen to suppress the fever, but he was still hot.

Worse thing was Yi refused to drink or let Daddy sponge!
Yi finally relented after much persuasion.

When he start perspiring, Daddy is relieved.
We hope he recovers soon.

Wei 's skin peeled off ... no thanks to Yi

While we are watching TV in our hall, the boys are playing inside our bedroom. When the kiddos got too excited over Ch5's Narnia, Mummy went in to calm them down.

After a while, we heard someone crying softly :
"Go and tell Mummy, my skin come out already !!"

Victim is Ah Wei.
After interrogation, culprit is Ah Yi, but mastermind is Ah Kang !!
Kang was showing Yi how to play with sliding door etc.

Yi has opened our mirror-door when Wei was trying to get something for Mummy.
Whack, the door's sharp edge dig into Wei's ankle.

We quickly apply ice to sooth the swollen area.
Then wash the area, before applying antiseptic.

The abrasion is about 3cm, but luckily, the cut is superficial.

妹雯锌 can sit on her own now... or not?

Warning!! Watch Mei Mei's video at your own risk.
** The cast of "sengkangbabies" guarantee that no one was hurt during filming.

Video : Can 妹妹sit by herself now?


ooops.. We spoke too early. Ah Xin lost her balance and crash.
Luckily, no major cut. Mei Mei got slight trauma, but is otherwise, still adorable.
Daddy lectured Mummy for being too careless, causing his little Darling to fall down !@#!@~

Video : See, they are watching Drama together already.

Boys and Girl are TV addicts. They like to follow Mummy on her TVB serials.

Who fell down earlier? Snooze Zzz..

Tooth fairy visited Wei

Have you noticed that our 大哥 seems to be missing something in his smile ?

Four of Wei's front teeth has loosen and dropped off. (since Aug)

Luckily, these are all milk teeth, and will be replaced soon.
It is tough for Wei to eat or bite his food, and he has to rely on his molar more often :p

In school, Teacher Sharidah is always the one to pull out children's tooth.

She is not a sadist, but rather, it takes some courage and nerve, to be able to help children relieve their tooth.

You have to shake the tooth front and back to loosen it, before you pull it out with your thumb and index finder. It can be bloody affair at times. Yucks.

Gruesome.

So Wei can be excused, if he choose not to say "Cheese" infront of Daddy's camera :)

On the other hand, whenever a toddler is teething, it is another uncomfortable experience.
They will suck their thumbs, so as to sooth their gums.

Saliva flows everywhere, and sometimes the new tooth will bring out a fever too.
Child can lose their appetite and in worse case, affect their sleep.

Dilemma, to lose or to grow a teeth.

Mei got rashes, and Diarrhoea

Mei Mei got diarrhoea since last week, and her backside also got rashes. Talk about double whammy!!

Everytime Mummy wipe her, she will groan in discomfort. Her groans will melt your heart, as it is painful for us to see her suffering :(

Doctor believes her tummy also got Lactose intolerance.. so we are trying her on SoyMilk (yucks), special Abbott formula, and if all fails.. Goat Milk !!

But Xin is still in high spirits, she is still "talking" to her siblings and smiling for Mummy/Daddy :)
Hope she get well soon.

表妹 Kara is sick

Our cousin is sick, suspected H1N1, and now in KK hospital.
Poor Kara keep on crying, and her little body must be aching :(

Wei decide to draw Kara a get well card.
Kara, you must be strong and get well soon.

姑姑和姑丈想你.
Miss you.

Do not take your child's safety for granted

Child fell 9 storeys ..
Child drown in condo :(

(Skull png downloaded from http://www.clker.com)


How many more tragedies do we need before we pay more attention to our kid's environment? When it comes to safety, ignorance is not bliss, and we should not take safety for granted.


How can we raise children's consciousness on Safety risks and consequences?

Some parents might argue that children being children, wants to do the opposite, but as parents, we should at least try. In some cases, parents somehow believe that incidence will not befall our own kids? (but will befall others)

I would like to focus on two common incidence, which sounds like Common Sense, BUT..but

1. No Car seatbelt?
Why do we still see kids popping up and down in their parent's car?
Do parents assume that we have super-human strength to "hold" on to our kids on impact? Scientific crash-test videos prove otherwise..

Video : Car seat vs no Car seat

Above video is taken from YouTube, and more are available. Just search "seat belt" in YouTube.

** Without proper seatbelt, you do not need 200Kmh to break a life.


2. Missing Windows grill
Do we really believe our kids are so docile, that they will not attempt a superman stunt? Those with multiple kids will know how younger siblings mimic their elder brother and sisters.
It is so easy for the young ones to push a stool next to an unguarded window !!

How do we ever justify a missing Window Grill?
Maybe parents choose to underestimate their's children's ability and imagination ?
Some parents will even claim that window grills mar their splendid paranomic view !!


Raising awareness
If we know something is amiss, please speak up.
There are so many things around us which need us to raise a doubt :

- school kids cycling like dare-devils across the road
- sharp corners at home
- easy access to parent's medication, or bleach
- pail full of water, inviting the kid to tempt fate by snorkeling !!
- F1 racing up and down multi-storey carpark
- endless more examples...

KK's website hope to bring more insights into do's and don't.
--> http://www.kkh.com.sg/ChildSafety
--> http://www.kkh.com.sg/PatientHealthLibrary/ChildrensHealth/ChildhoodIllnesses/Injuries.htm

Get young kids to try these games
--> http://www.scdf.gov.sg/General/Kids_Corner/index.html


Starting from today, help to raise our kids' safety awareness. We own it to them.
Exercise our Common Sense, be kiasu or paranoid, please Do not let our child become another statistic !!

Enough ramblings, from a paranoid Daddy :p
Please share your tips and recommendations on how to improve child safety.

Resident Evil - gecko Ji(3) Leng(2)

This post is not for the faint hearted.
Our pet gecko has been roaming around for last two days.
We were so worried that he will drop into our porridge, or crawl into our pillows..yucks.

Daddy tried to catch it without succuss, and Lizard is Immune to Baygon.
Daddy finally caught the lizard in a plastic bag for us to examine.

Wei and Kang keep poking at the creature, and Yi thought this is a new toy.
Wei even sent Mummy screaming when he bring the lizard near to Mummy :p


After we have enough fun, Daddy release the gecko into the bin.
Daddy told us the gecko is a delicacy for fish :p

Daddy's old man tales :
In the old days when we live in Kampong, or even when we visit our relatives in Malaysia.
This insects/crawlies are very common. I still remember flies around our lunch, cockroach crawling around. And even a mouse crawling in the ceiling of bathroom.

.

Wei is Influenza A (H1N1) positive

Oh no, this flu finally found it's way to our home.
And Wei is the host :(
Although he is smiling for the camera, his appetite is still not good.

It started with two nights of persistent fever, reaching 39.1
30Jul - Wei Fever
31Jul - Kang also got fever in school
02Aug - Wei's blood test and xray report confirms our worst fear

Tamiflu treatment for Wei

We have to monitor Wei with this Tamiflu tablets, in case he gets some side-effects.

Google "Tamiflu side effect kids" and you get reports of kids with side-effects, like nausea, insomnia and even nightmare.

So far, Wei is responding well to treatment, and no hallucination from him.

We still ask him to wear his mask to prevent cross-contamination.

Luckily, these two boys and Mei mei are still ok. (keeping fingers crossed)

Daddy : This H1n1 or Influenza A is no different from our common flu.

Onset of virus is cough, fever, running nose etc.
During any fever outbreak, parents can only give paracetamol or bruffen, and sponge.. and PRAY he breaks sweat.

We are lucky that Wei's case is considered mild, and does not require hospitalisation.

However, the worrying thing is we cannot confirm where he first got infected.!!!

More information -->
www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/specialreport/view/1521/1/.html
Tamiflu and side effect for children
www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/448000/1/.html

sickly week

This week was horrible.

Since Mon - Kang had Fever (up and down), reaching near 39 on few occasions. Apparently infection, followed by Throat irritation.

Then Yi also started exhibiting similar symptom on Tue evening.
Luckliy his case was mild, we have to isolate Kang at night.

Only Wei is healthy, keeping our fingers cross.
Parents would know how difficult it is to isolate siblings, or even asking them to cover their mum when coughing !!

Thu - Mummy also felt weak..aiyoh...
Daddy has to fetch the boys to school, and teachers will be asking what happen to No2, no 3 etc etc.

We hope everybody will be fine after the weekend :)

On a side note, Daddy was wondering how many parents out there encounter this scenario?

1. You bring kids in, and teacher is taking the temperature for kid in front, read out loudly "38 Degrees".. But Parents is still trying to leave his child in school. This is highly irresponsible, and smack of inconsideration. With three kids in same school, we are highly exposed to any outbreak :(

brought Yi to Jab

Yi is due for his Jab. We brought him to our regular Doc at Thomson Medical.
He was strong and did not cry.

Yi did look back to see what had bitten his buttock, then proceed to munch on his cookie.
He is a commando.

Looking back, Wei and Kang also never cry during their regular injections.


Anyway, once we were home, Daddy found the two plasters on Yi's buttock comical. Yi was running around half-naked.

No April fool's week

This week was tiring.

Sat/Sun - Yi was still drooling massively, as we can see his molar appearing.
He got fever, and diarrhoea intermittently.

Mon - Yi recovers and goes back to school, only to find out his girlfriend got infected with HFMD !!

Oh no, we fear for the worst.
Not only is Yi at risk, he can also pass the germs to his elder brothers :(
Luckily he has remain strong thus far, and not fallen sick yet.
.... keeping our fingers cross.

Wed - Kang got high fever, and Mummy has to isolate him from his schoolmates. After taking medication, his condition stabilise. Bought him to see Doctor in the evening. Infection, green nose discharge, more antibiotic for him. When we see Kang running and perspiring (instead of getting listless), we felt relieve.

Thu - Kang got high fever again. Hope he will recover before the weekend.

Kang got Hernia

Kang was diagnosed with hernia.
We had to bring him in to KK A&E, whereby a doctor accesses his condition.

Whenever he jumps, there as a risk that hernia would occur, which will cause him a great deal of pain. So one minute he will be chirpy, and the other, Kang might be groaning in pain.
Symptom - is area near testicle might be swollen. A doctor would need to slight nudged the protruding tissues back inside.

Long term solution would need an incision.
To open, and sew the "gap", so that tissues will not fall through the "membrane"again.

Coincidentally, Wei was also treated with hernia before.
Both our boys got hernia only after 1 year, which is rare.
Genes issue?