Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Latest News

A viral infection known as Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is spreading rapidly among children across Delhi and neighbouring Haryana, prompting health experts and schools to issue advisories.

About Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease 

• It is a very contagious illness caused by a virus. 
• The disease gets its name from the blister-like rash that forms on your child’s hands and feet and painful sores that develop in their mouth. 
• The rash can actually appear anywhere on their body, including their chest, back, arms, legs, genitals, and buttocks.
• Infants and children younger than 5 are most likely to get HFMD. It is extremely uncommon in adults; however, it is still a possibility. 
• It tends to spread quickly among children in daycare and schools. 
• Because several viruses can cause the disease, it’s possible to get HFMD multiple times.
• It is often confused with foot-and-mouth (also called hoof-and-mouth) disease, a disease of cattle, sheep, and swine; however, the two diseases are not related—they are caused by different viruses. 
  • Humans do not get the animal disease, and animals do not get the human disease.
• Transmission: It easily spreads through contact with unwashed hands, feces, saliva , mucus from the nose, or fluid from the blisters. 

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Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Symptoms

• Fever
• Sore throat
• Painful mouth sores that blister
• Rash commonly found on the hands and feet
• Complications from HFMD are rare.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Treatment

• There’s no cure for HFM and no vaccine to prevent it.
• Most people get better on their own in 7 to 10 days with minimal or no medical treatment. 
• However, it can take children younger than 2 years old a little longer for their bodies to clear the virus.

Source: N18