It’s mild but irritating, sometimes leaving the little one screaming in pain.
Often the only indication that the child is ill is a rash – angry red blisters inside the mouth (oral mucosa) and the skin of the hands and feet, MediScene learns.
Hand, foot and mouth disease it is and if you see the rash once, you can identify it any time thereafter, points out Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Samanmali Sumanasena who is attached to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children in Colombo, assuring parents not to worry.
Mainly affecting toddlers (1-3 year-olds) and pre-schoolers (3-5 year-olds), it is a mild illness with minimal systemic effects (only specific areas are affected and not the whole body). There is usually no fever and nausea, says Dr. Sumanasena who is also a Senior Lecturer in Paediatrics at the Colombo Medical Faculty. Older children and adults can get it but not very badly.
Caused by the ‘Entero’ group of viruses, the common species which bring about hand, foot and mouth disease are coxsackie virus A and entero virus 71, she explains, adding that it is very contagious, spreading oro-faecally (from faeces to the mouth).
Zeroing in on the blister-rash, Dr. Sumanasena says that there is a very specific distribution of skin lesions in the mouth, with ulcers appearing along the tongue, on the palate and also the throat (pharynx).
The palm surfaces and the area between the fingers as well as the soles, the knees and buttocks also fall victim to these blisters. In Sri Lanka, the common areas affected by this disease are the foot-knee-buttocks. Unlike other viruses which commonly grip children and fall into the respiratory category, this causes no runny noses or sneezing, according to her.
There is no medication or immunization against foot and mouth disease, which usually runs its course in three to five days unless there is a secondary infection, it is learnt, as it is a self-limiting condition. Very rarely there may be high fever and fits (seizures). Parents need to give children affected by hand, foot and mouth, paracetamol in the right dosage if there is fever and pain, advises Dr. Sumanasena.
Steps to follow
If the child is having hand, foot and mouth, keep him at home, stresses Dr. Sumanasena, pointing that as it is very infectious.When ill children go to play-school or pre-school, there can be an epidemic there.
Wash the hands of the child well, with soap and water and prevent him from putting his fingers in his mouth, as this helps spread the illness, along with oral secretions.
As feeding becomes a major problem due to the painful blisters in the child’s mouth, give him soothing liquids and soft foods, she adds. |
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