Hand Foot & Mouth Disease (HFMD) : Causes, Symptoms & What You Should Know About it

Hand Foot And Mouth Disease (HFMD)

HFMD is a viral infection caused by enteroviruses. Most commonly the coxsackie virus known HFMD to most parents. It is a common childhood infection. There are a few things to note about HFMD :

- It is endemic and simple. Medical practitioners, child care centre, kindergartens and schools with outbreak of HFMD are required to notify the Ministry of Health.

- The incubation period is 3 to 5 days with a range from 2 days up to 2 weeks.

- HFMD can infect both children and adults. Although children below the age of 5 years are generally more vulnerable.

Children with HFMD may suffer from one or more of the following common symptoms :

• Fever
• Poor Appetite
• Sore Throat or Lethargy
• Mouth Ulcers
• Rashes Over the Palms, Sole or Buttock Areas

Symptoms may vary for individuals depending on the stage of the infection. Some individuals may not have any symptoms at all. Parents can check of their child has HFMD by the following steps:

• Take your child's temperature via oral or your axillary thermometer.
• Check for mouth ulcers by getting your child to open the mouth wide and use a torch to look for ulcers on the tongue in the sides of the cheeks and on the lips.
• Look for little reddish or pinkish blisters on the back and palms your child's hands and the soles of your child's feet. Often, these blisters can appear over the buttock area as well.

HFMD is spread via direct contact of nasal discharge,faeces,saliva or fluids from the infected rash of a person. The most contagious period during HFMD spans throughout the time of the illness. Although the virus can persists in the stools for several weeks after the infection, the person become less contagious after symptoms resolved. Nevertheless, personal and environmental hygiene is very important. There is no specific treatment for HFMD besides relief of symptoms and ensuring good hydration. If you suspect that your child has HFMD, please seek medical attention. Meanwhile, you can minimize the spread of the disease by following steps below :

1. Inform your child's childcare centre, kindergarten or school of his or her illness. So that, the school can take the necessary precautions.
2. Keeping your child at home an away from publicplaces like the shooping centres and playgrounds until the blisters have dried up and your child's symptoms have fully resolved.
3. Loom for signs and symptoms in other family members that maybe infected as well.
4. Ensuring that your child's symptoms of HFMD has all resolved and that the medical certificate given by your doctor has expired before letting your child go back to school.
5. Having good hygiene practices such as frequent and propernhandwashing, covering your nose and mouth during times of sneezing and coughing. Separating your child's toys, eating utensils, towels and clothes from others.

Many children with HFMD can have difficulty feeding due to painful ulcers that are present in the mouth. This can be treated with a topical gel that can numb the pain. The gel is typically applied over the mouth  ulcers, all over the bottle teat before drinking. It is very important to ensure that your child is drinking well and has good urine output during the time of illness to avoid dehydration. If you notice that your child is taking less than half of what he or she usually take, all show signs of dehydration like not passing urine for more than 8 hours or is very lethargic, then visit your doctor as soon as possible. Lastly, HFMD symptoms usually last a week up to 10 days before full recovery.