Last week, Mr Frankie Loh drove back and forth daily between Malacca, where he had to attend to business, and Singapore so that he could be by the side of his only son.
Two-year-old Kieran, who had contracted hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), had been hospitalised.
This meant that Mr Loh, 35, had to spend five hours driving to and fro every day. The marketing executive said: 'Talk about exhaustion. I usually don't return home till my business trip is over.'
What is HFMD?
The usual symptoms are:
Fever for two to three days
Sore throat and runny nose
Rash (flat or raised red spots, some with blisters) on the palms of hands, soles of feet, or buttocks
Mouth ulcers
Poor appetite
Vomiting and diarrhoea
Tiredness and weakness
Does HFMD affect only children?
No. Both adults and children can be affected, but children, particularly those under the age of five, are most susceptible.
What is the treatment?
No specific treatment is available, except medication to relieve the symptoms of the disease.
Can someone die from HFMD?
Most cases are mild. Occasionally, serious complications involving the nervous system, heart and brain can occur, which may lead to death.
Other affected families have found their lives turned topsy-turvy since the current outbreak three weeks ago.
Children are being kept apart in affected households. Some parents have resorted to wearing masks and gloves.
HFMD is usually not fatal, and children make up the majority of the 2,600-plus cases in the recent outbreak.
Housewife Norjannah Mohammed Kamal, 31, and her husband decided to separate their two sons when the younger one came down with HFMD last Friday.
Their elder son is now staying with his grand-aunt in Sembawang while their younger son stays put at the couple's Ang Mo Kio flat.
'I had no choice. I don't want my elder son to get HFMD too,' she said.
In Madam Jessica Tan's case, it was she who came down with HFMD last week. She decided to stay with her parents so as not to infect her two children aged four and one. Her husband is caring for them.
'I burst into tears when I said goodbye to them. I couldn't even hug or kiss them,' said the 32-year-old manager.
IT trainer Zaid Ismail, 38, had to confine his eldest son, Umar Khalid, to his bedroom when the boy fell ill last week. Umar, seven, was also not allowed to play with his two younger brothers.
'His two-year-old brother missed him very much and would stand at the bedroom door asking to play with Umar,' said Mr Zaid, who started wearing a mask and gloves at home.
Despite the precautions, the entire family of five still ended up with HFMD. The youngest, a four-month-old baby boy, has been hospitalised.
Another parent, Ms Cathy Chan, 29, chose to apply for leave to look after both her sons when they came down with HFMD last week. Ms Chan, an administrative assistant, hopes to return to work this week.
Paediatrician Lee Bee Wah said it was a good move to keep young children, especially those below 18 months old, at home for the time being. Younger children fall sick easily, she added.
Meanwhile, some childcare centres, especially those with HFMD cases, are experiencing empty classrooms. At Averbel Child Development Centre in Yishun, the pre-school classes have become quiet since three children got HFMD last week.
Said principal Daphne Lee: 'Parents of the younger kids prefer to keep their children at home because they're afraid of the disease.'
However, Jollies Child Care Centre in Jurong West is optimistic that classrooms will soon be full again. Its classes have been empty after seven children contracted HFMD.
Said its spokesman: 'All the children are expected to turn up this week. The entire centre has been cleaned up.'
This story was first published in thesundaytimes on Apr 20, 2008.
