Hand-Foot-Mouth

Hand-Foot-Mouth

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease — It is going around!!! Read about prevention.

A mild, contagious viral infection common in young children — is characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is most commonly caused by a coxsackievirus.

There's no specific treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease. You can reduce your child's risk of infection from hand-foot-and-mouth disease by practicing good hygiene and teaching your child how to keep clean.

Symptoms

                               

 Hand-foot-and-mouth disease may cause all of the following signs and symptoms or just some of them. They include:

·         Fever

·         Sore throat

·         Feeling of being unwell (malaise)

·         Painful, red, blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks

·         A red rash, without itching but sometimes with blistering, on the palms, soles and sometimes the buttocks

·         Irritability in infants and toddlers

·         Loss of appetite

The usual period from initial infection to the onset of signs and symptoms (incubation period) is three to six days. A fever is often the first sign of hand-foot-and-mouth disease, followed by a sore throat and sometimes a poor appetite and malaise.

One or two days after the fever begins, painful sores may develop in the mouth or throat. A rash on the hands and feet and possibly on the buttocks can follow within one or two days.

Causes

The most common cause of hand-foot-and-mouth disease is infection with the coxsackievirus A16.

Oral ingestion is the main source of coxsackievirus infection and hand-foot-and-mouth disease. The illness spreads by person-to-person contact with an infected person's:

·         Nasal secretions or throat discharge

·         Saliva

·         Fluid from blisters

·         Stool

·         Respiratory droplets sprayed into the air after a cough or sneeze

Treatments and drugs

·         There's no specific treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Signs and symptoms of hand-foot-and-mouth disease usually clear up in seven to 10 days.

·         A topical oral anesthetic may help relieve the pain of mouth sores. Over-the-counter pain medications other than aspirin, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) may help relieve general discomfort.

Prevention

Certain precautions can help to reduce the risk of infection with hand-foot-and-mouth disease:

·         Wash hands carefully. Be sure to wash your hands frequently and thoroughly, especially after using the toilet or changing a diaper and before preparing food and eating. When soap and water aren't available, use hand wipes or gels treated with germ-killing alcohol.

·         Disinfect common areas. Get in the habit of cleaning high-traffic areas and surfaces first with soap and water, then with a diluted solution of chlorine bleach and water. Child care centers should follow a strict schedule of cleaning and disinfecting all common areas, including shared items such as toys, as the virus can live on these objects for days. Clean your baby's pacifiers often.

·         Teach good hygiene. Show your children how to practice good hygiene and how to keep themselves clean. Explain to them why it's best not to put their fingers, hands or any other objects in their mouths.

·         Isolate contagious people. Because hand-foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious, people with the illness should limit their exposure to others while they have active signs and symptoms. Keep children with hand-foot-and-mouth disease out of child care or school until fever is gone and mouth sores have healed. If you have the illness, stay home from work.

Mayo Clinic