The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) said that Red Cross 143 is on standby amid the reported rising cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) in the country.

"PRC’s Health Services Team has alerted all our 100+ chapters — and our RC143 volunteers — to be vigilant and report to our Operations Center information from the barangays on HFMD cases," said PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Richard Gordon.

He also noted that greater caution is needed, especially since children are already attending face-to-face classes and are expected to be exposed to many people during the holiday celebration.

Red Cross 143 is the PRC's network of barangay-based volunteers formed to bring assistance and relief aid closer to communities.

The Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the increasing number of HFMD cases in the Philippines but clarified that there is no outbreak yet for the said infectious disease.

DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a briefing last Dec. 6 that they recorded 155 cases of HFMD in Metro Manila alone from October to Dec. 6.

HFMD is a "contagious viral infection that commonly affects young children and is characterized by sores in the mouth and rashes on the hands and feet," DOH said.

It can be passed on to others through "droplets or direct contact with nasal discharges, saliva, feces, and fluid from the rashes of an infected individual."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HFMD is most contagious during the first week of infection.

An infected person can sometimes still spread the virus "days or weeks after symptoms go away or if they have no symptoms at all," it added.