Kashmir’s Youngest Are Sick. Their Safety Rests With Us.
Schools in the Kashmir Valley have begun shutting their nursery, kindergarten and primary sections. The reason is Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. It is spreading among young children. Authorities acted on Saturday. The closure was necessary.
HFMD is not a mystery illness. It is caused mainly by Coxsackievirus A16. It travels fast. A cough, a shared toy, a touched surface. That is enough. Symptoms appear three to six days after exposure. Fever comes first. Then a sore throat. Then painful mouth ulcers. Then a rash on the palms, soles and buttocks.
The illness is generally mild. Most children recover fully within seven to ten days. But the virus does not leave quietly. Children stay contagious for weeks after the rash fades. That is what makes schools dangerous during an outbreak.
Kashmir has seen this before. Outbreaks in Srinagar in 2018 and 2022 taught a clear lesson. Closing schools early breaks the chain. It works. But one Saturday off is not a solution. It is only a beginning.
The strongest tool available costs nothing. Soap and water. Every child must wash hands for at least twenty seconds. Before eating. After using the toilet. After touching anything shared. This one habit, done properly and consistently, stops more infections than any medicine.
Schools must disinfect classrooms every day. Doorknobs. Desks. Play equipment. Shared surfaces. All of it.
Parents carry the real responsibility now. Watch your child each morning. Fever. Rash. Mouth sores. If any sign appears, keep the child home. Do not share utensils, towels or food. Cover coughs with the elbow. Seek medical advice early. The Health Department’s instruction is simple and must be followed without exception. Do not send a sick child to school.
This outbreak also reveals what was already there. Sanitation gaps in many neighbourhoods. Delayed information reaching lower income households. Health reporting systems stretched too thin. These are not new problems. This outbreak simply makes them visible again.
The government and community organisations must use this moment. Run awareness drives through local radio, mosques and anganwadi centres. Distribute sanitisers and simple printed guides in areas that need them most. Reach parents who do not have access to online updates.
HFMD returns to Kashmir periodically. Dense living conditions and seasonal shifts create the right environment for it. But awareness travels faster than any virus when communities choose to act together.
Treat this closure as a turning point. Not as a day off. Not as a temporary inconvenience. Use it to build habits that last beyond this outbreak.
Children are not just patients in this situation. They are the reason every adult in the Valley must pay attention right now.
Wash hands. Keep sick children home. Stay calm. Stay alert.
That is the full prescription. It fits in one sentence. Following it is the only thing that matters now.
