Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease


Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a highly contagious infection. It’s caused by viruses from the Enterovirus genus, most commonly the coxsackievirus. These viruses can spread from person-to-person through direct contact with unwashed hands or surfaces contaminated with feces. It can also be transmitted through contact with an infected person’s saliva, stool, or respiratory secretions.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is characterized by blisters or sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. The infection can affect people of all ages, but it usually occurs in children under age 5. It is generally a mild condition that goes away on its own within several days.
Severe cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) may require medical attention, but the condition usually clears up without intervention.It is often confused with foot-and-mouth disease, which affects livestock but cannot infect humans. HFMD is most common in children under 10 years of age, but it can also affect older children and adults.
The symptoms begin to develop three to seven days after the initial infection. This period is known as the incubation period. When symptoms do appear, you or your child may experience:
  • fever
  • A poor appetite
  • sore throat
  • headache
  • Irritability
  • Painful, red blisters in the mouth
  • A red rash on the hands and the soles of the feet
A fever and sore throat are usually the first symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease. The characteristic blisters and rashes show up later, usually one or two days after the fever begins

HAND-FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE ON THE FOOT

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 front of the mouth or throat. A rash on the hands and feet and possibly on the buttocks can follow within one or two days.
Sores that develop in the back of the mouth and throat may suggest that your child is infected with a related viral illness called herpangina. Other distinguishing features of herpangina include a sudden high fever and in some instances, seizure. Sores that develop on the hands, feet or other parts of the body are very rare.

WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is usually a minor illness causing only a few days of fever and relatively mild signs and symptoms. Contact Best Child Doctor near you  if mouth sores or a sore throat keep your child from drinking fluids and contact Best Child Specialist Doctor if after a few days, your child's signs and symptoms worsen.

CAUSES

The most common cause of hand-foot-and-mouth disease is infection with the coxsackievirus A16. The coxsackievirus belongs to a group of viruses called nonpolio enteroviruses. Other types of enteroviruses sometimes cause hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
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

COMMON IN CHILD CARE SETTING

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is most common in children in child care settings because of frequent diaper changes and potty training, and because little children often put their hands in their mouths.
Although your child is most contagious with hand-foot-and-mouth disease during the first week of the illness, the virus can remain in his or her body for weeks after the signs and symptoms are gone. That means your child still can infect others. Some people, particularly adults, can pass the virus without showing any signs or symptoms of the disease. Outbreaks of the disease are more common in summer and autumn in the United States and other temperate climates. In tropical climates, outbreaks occur year-round.

DIFFERENT FROM FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease isn't related to foot-and-mouth disease (sometimes called hoof-and-mouth disease), which is an infectious viral disease found in farm animals. You can't contract hand-foot-and-mouth disease from pets or other animals, and you can't transmit it to them.

RISK FACTORS


Hand-foot-and-mouth disease primarily affects children younger than age 10, often those under 5 years. Children in child care centers are especially susceptible to outbreaks of hand-foot-and-mouth disease because the infection spreads by person-to-person contact, and young children are the most susceptible.
Children usually develop immunity to hand-foot-and-mouth disease as they get older by building antibodies after exposure to the virus that causes the disease. However, it's possible for adolescents and adults to get the disease.

COMPLICATIONS

The most common complication of hand-foot-and-mouth disease is dehydration. The illness can cause sores in the mouth and throat, making swallowing painful and difficult.
Watch closely to make sure your child frequently sips fluid during the course of the illness. If dehydration is severe, intravenous (IV) fluids may be necessary.
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is usually a minor illness causing only a few days of fever and relatively mild signs and symptoms. A rare and sometimes serious form of the coxsackievirus can involve the brain and cause other complications:
·    Viral meningitis. This is a rare infection and inflammation of the membranes (meninges) and cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
·  Encephalitis. This severe and potentially life-threatening disease involves brain inflammation caused by a virus. Encephalitis is rare.

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 and consult with nearest best male Pediatrician doctor

Dr Mohit Ghai 

(Ghai Mother & Child Clinic)


Address: Shop No 140,Mahagun Mywoods Mart FF, Sector 16C Opp Gaur City 2,Noida Extension, Landmark: Mahagun Mywoods Mart FF, Noida

Email: drmohit@ghaihealthcare.com

75032 61399

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