Hand, foot
and mouth Disease – it sounds scary, and is often confused with “foot-and-mouth
disease (also called hoof-and-mouth disease), which is a disease restricted to
cattle, sheep, and pigs. But not to
worry, as your child is not going to catch a sketchy sounding condition from
the local petting zoo. In fact, hand foot and mouth disease is not a
disease, but a virus – and a very common one at that – and the one we’re
talking about here only occurs in humans.
Caused by
the Coxsackie virus, hand foot and mouth disease is a super common, usually
mild, and extremely contagious virus that usually affects infants and children under
the age of 5 years old. To put into perspective how contagious it really is,
picture this: a friend of mine brought her child to a birthday party, unknowing
that one of the guests had the early symptoms of the hand-foot and mouth virus.
3 days later, all 10 kids that attended the party had the virus. It’s that contagious.
Usually
occurring in summer and fall, hand foot and mouth can also sometimes occur in
adults, with varying symptoms. In children, the most common symptoms include flu-like
symptoms, fever, blister-like sores in the mouth, a skin rash, and small
blisters on the fingers and feet.
Hand, foot,
and mouth disease usually starts out like a common cold or flu. Your child will
likely complain of a sore throat, may have a fever, and a poor appetite. After
a few days, the sores may appear on the chin, mouth, hands and feet. The
blisters vary in severity – some cause no irritation at all, while others may
feel sore and prevent your child from comfortably eating or drinking. Sometimes there are no blisters at all. The
virus is most contagious during the first week of illness, and spreads through
contact with an infected person’s saliva or stool. Essentially, the germs can
get on a person’s hands or other objects and then spread into someone’s mouth,
causing infection.
When both of
my children contracted this virus, they were each only a year old and I was
still nursing them. As a result, they only got a mild fever and a few blisters
on their hands and feet – I am almost certain that my breast milk prevented the
blisters from forming in their mouths. However, if your child does get blisters
in his or her mouth, and you’re not breastfeeding, don’t panic! Lots of water
will keep your child nicely hydrated, and won’t sting the blisters like juice
or milk might.
My husband
and I both ended up with the virus as well (as I mentioned above, it is
extremely contagious). We had moderate flu-like symptoms that were gone in a
day. Another friend of mine caught it from her child, and ended up with a high
fever and a very sore throat. Overall, it can manifest in many ways, but the
most important factor to remember is that it is a generally mild virus that is
as common in childhood as chicken pox once was.
As with many
other flu and cold viruses that are kicking around out there, vigorous hand
washing is the only real preventative measure. Since viruses don’t require antibiotics,
use OTC medications such as Advil or Tylenol (on the advice of your doctor) to
help ease any discomfort that your child may be experiencing. And be sure to
give all toys, doorknobs and other household surfaces a wash-down to eliminate
any germs that are kicking around.
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