Hand, Foot, and Mouth Syndrome is also called Coxsackievirus A16. This is a viral disease that usually occurs in epidemic form during the summer months.
Symptoms:
It begins with a moderate fever, but it gets its unusual name from the parts of the body that it involves. Small, round blisters develop inside the mouth; usually on the tongue and inside of the cheeks, but they can also appear on the lips, gums, and the roof of the mouth. Small round fluid-filled blisters may also appear on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and between the fingers and toes. The blisters begin to break in about one to two days, leaving shallow sores. About one-quarter of children also develop a rash, especially over the buttocks. The blisters appeear in a variety of places and the illness can last for almost 2 weeks. However, the major problem for most children is mouth sores, because they depress the child's appetite and make chewing painful.
Treatment:
Treatment is basically symptomatic - fever-reducing and pain-reducing medications, bedrest during the febrile period, cool liquids to soothe mouth sores, and warm applications to the back and chest may bring relief.
Prevention:
Prevention is difficult since the mode of transmission is by the fecal-oral route. The virus is found in the stool up to 8 weeks after the onset of symptoms. The virus is spread through contaminated feces, water, or food, and also by droplets produced by a cough or sneeze. Children may want to bring water bottles instead of using the water fountains, even though our maintenance department thoroughly disinfects the water fountains several times a week. Encourage your child to wash their hands! Frequent handwashing is important and may reduce the risk of a child developing this common, non-serious, but distinctly uncomfortable illness.
Prognosis is excellant. The disease is usually self-limited and the recovery complete.
Symptoms:
It begins with a moderate fever, but it gets its unusual name from the parts of the body that it involves. Small, round blisters develop inside the mouth; usually on the tongue and inside of the cheeks, but they can also appear on the lips, gums, and the roof of the mouth. Small round fluid-filled blisters may also appear on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, and between the fingers and toes. The blisters begin to break in about one to two days, leaving shallow sores. About one-quarter of children also develop a rash, especially over the buttocks. The blisters appeear in a variety of places and the illness can last for almost 2 weeks. However, the major problem for most children is mouth sores, because they depress the child's appetite and make chewing painful.
Treatment:
Treatment is basically symptomatic - fever-reducing and pain-reducing medications, bedrest during the febrile period, cool liquids to soothe mouth sores, and warm applications to the back and chest may bring relief.
Prevention:
Prevention is difficult since the mode of transmission is by the fecal-oral route. The virus is found in the stool up to 8 weeks after the onset of symptoms. The virus is spread through contaminated feces, water, or food, and also by droplets produced by a cough or sneeze. Children may want to bring water bottles instead of using the water fountains, even though our maintenance department thoroughly disinfects the water fountains several times a week. Encourage your child to wash their hands! Frequent handwashing is important and may reduce the risk of a child developing this common, non-serious, but distinctly uncomfortable illness.
Prognosis is excellant. The disease is usually self-limited and the recovery complete.
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