I know that there have always been diseases: viruses, bacteria and things that go bump in the night. I do wonder about the evolution of these things, of course: why are they here? Like humans, I suppose, they are on an evolutionary path and, like humans, they just get on with it surviving and evolving. I also suppose it is chance that when they latch onto a person they wreak havoc or they usually have a small and short lived life ... but be careful as that is not always true.
Anyway, we are still getting over the Covid-19 pandemic and up pops monkeypox: I don't know a lot about it but it is transmitted, so far, in a particular way and it is getting some attention from the public health community.
Here in Thailand, a non Thai man tested positive for monkeypox a couple of weeks ago and, rather than seeking treatment, he ran away. Why run away when there is treatment available? Well, he ran as far as Phnom Penh, which is well removed from Bangkok and was caught. In the meantime, was anyone else infected by him?
Now, we have Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease here. A friend of my daughter got it 10 days or so ago. On Tuesday of this week, youngest daughter was at nursery when she came down with a fever ... the mother suspected HF and M and the doctor confirmed it. She caught it from a different source to my other daughter's friend!
HF and M comes from the coxsackie virus for which there is no cure but it is normally short lived albeit unpleasant. Fever, listlessness, pain, lack of appetite, then mouth and throat sores, spots on the hands, feet and legs. Children are more susceptible to HF and M and last night our son seems to have developed a fever ... it's almost time to wake him up but I checked him around 4 am and he was still hot.
Take care everyone.
DW
4/8/2022
