Hand foot and mouth disease is very common to men, women and children but it is preventable following some steps.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an infectious viral one that affects children under the age of ten.The virus coxsackie actually causes it. This infection is caused by contact with the hands, contamination of the surface feces, or the passage of fluid or feces through the feces of an infected person. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, fatigue, painful ulcers, pain inside the mouth and tongue, and blisters on the back of the hands, feet, buttocks, elbows, and knees. It cannot be cured by any vaccine or medicine. However, there are some home remedies that can help your child cope with the symptoms of the disease.
Hand foot and mouth disease has no specific treatment. Avoiding close contact with people with oral diseases can help reduce your child’s risk of infection.
Spreading The Virus
The hand-foot-mouth-causing virus is contagious and can be spread through contact with a person, such as coughing or sneezing. Liquids from blisters, saliva, and feces can spread the virus. Anyone who touches a surface infected with a previously infected virus can also contract it. Because of the ease of this infection, the disease is common in daycare settings and other child care situations because children often put their fingers in their mouths. Adults can spread the virus even if they have no symptoms of hand foot and mouth disease, and children become infected in the first week of their infection. The virus can remain in the body even after the symptoms have passed and can infect others after a few weeks.
Symptoms & Signs of the Diseases
Symptoms of hand foot and mouth disease appear on the third to the seventh day of viral infection. Early symptoms may appear:
Fever
The incubation period is the time between the initial contact with the virus and the onset of symptoms. Fever is the first sign of this infectious disease and appears three to six days after infection. Hand foot mouth disease is usually a mild illness, so the fever lasts most days.
Sore Throat
In most cases, the sore throat worsens a day or two after the onset of the fever. The initial symptoms of this disease of the hands, feet, and mouth are the result of painful sores on the inside of the throat or mouth, although pain may begin before the injuries become noticeable.
Obstruction or Blister
Boils on the inside of the mouth can form on the tongue, gums, or inner cheeks and can be painful and red or sore. These can also be painful to swallow, but it is essential to continue eating and drinking to ensure that the body has what it needs to fight the virus. Parents who are refusing their children’s fluids should see a doctor immediately.
The Rash
In addition to boils inside the mouth, hand-foot and mouth diseases also cause rashes on the hands and feet. The rash develops one to two days after the onset of facial rash and is usually red but not itchy. Blisters, flat spots, or sores may be mixed with the rash and may develop above the knees, elbows, and buttocks.
Malaria
Hand-foot-mouth disease causes depression, which is a common feeling of being sick. In addition to the rundown feeling, babies and toddlers may become more irritable than usual. Loss of appetite can also lead to development, another sign of HFMD. If symptoms worsen after a few days, it is important to contact a doctor now.
What are the Causes?
HFMD is highly contagious and easily spreads from person to person. Your child can become infected with hand, foot, and mouth infections when they come in contact with an infected person:
- Saliva in the mouth. It can infect your child directly. Even sharing the same cup or plate, stationery, towel can make it contagious.
- Breathing drops such as sneezing or coughing. If your child comes in contact with the cough or sneeze of an infected person or breathes in the same air, they can become infected.
- Fluid from the blister. They can spread the disease when your baby comes in contact with or has been exposed to fluid from another baby’s blisters.
- Stool. The HFMD virus can also be transmitted through the oral cavity. Thus, if babies touch dirty diapers or come in contact with soil or surface contaminated with the feces of an infected person, they can catch the virus.
- Skin contact with an infected person. Intimate physical contact, such as a handshake or hug, can be a source of infection.
- Contact with an infected object. The virus can survive in inanimate objects; Therefore, touching anything used by an infected person can infect the virus.
Hand Foot Mouth Disease Treatment
Diseases of the hand, foot, and mouth do not require special treatment, as the symptoms disappear on their own within 7-10 days. So, It’s very important to know how to treat hand foot mouth disease if you are really worried about this. Supportive care, including fever management, is the primary goal of dehydration prevention. The following steps can be taken at home to reduce the symptoms and the doctor may prescribe a few medications:
- Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
- Eat that food easy to chew and swallow
- Avoid spicy foods or drinks as these can make the pain worse
- Gargle with mild hot salt after meals to relieve pain and swelling
- To relieve pain from blisters on the face by providing cold drinks with ice cream
- Topical ointment and oral anesthetic to soothe rashes and blisters
- Acetaminophen or ibuprofen is a medicated syrup to relieve sore throat to relieve general discomfort, pain, and headaches
- Anti-allergic to relieve itching.
How to Prevent
You can take the following steps to prevent Hand Foot and Mouth Disease:
- The best way to prevent this is to practice good hygiene. Wash your children’s hands with soap and water after using the washroom and before and after eating
- Teach children not to put their hands or things in their mouths
- Make sure your child does not share static or other materials with other children in school or daycare
- If anyone in the family develops the disease, separate towels, and bedsheets
- Regularly disinfect common areas of your home, especially shared areas and surfaces. Disinfect your kids’ toys and other used items
- If your child is suffering from a fever or rash, keep him at home until he recovers. This will avoid spreading the infection among others
- Teach them to cover their face before sneezing or coughing; It will spread when they become infected
- Keep your child away from the family members If someone is having the disease.
Is There a Vaccine for Disease?
Appropriate infection control exercises are recommended to prevent the spread of disease in the hands, feet, and mouth. Good hand hygiene (handwashing) is always important. Children infected with the virus usually develop mild illnesses of the hands, feet, and mouth, and the symptoms improve within a week of development. There is no vaccine; However, the illness is usually mild and self-limiting and usually, children do not develop the illness twice. Also, most adults have enduring immunity and they may not even be infected.
General Care of Babies
- Hand-foot and mouth disease is most common among children in child care settings due to frequent diaper changes and bandage training, and young children often put their hands over their mouths.
- Although your child’s hand-foot-and-mouth disease is most contagious in the first week of illness, the virus can stay in his or her body for weeks after the signs and symptoms go away. It means that your child can still infect others.
- Without showing any symptoms of the disease Some people like adults can pass the virus.
Risk Factors
Hand foot and mouth disease mainly affects children under 10 years of age, most often those under 5 years of age. Children in child care centers are particularly susceptible to outbreaks of hand-foot-and-mouth disease because the infection is spread through contact with individuals and young children are the most susceptible to us.
Babies usually develop immunity to hand-foot and mouth disease because they develop this as they get older by producing antibodies after being exposed to the virus. However, it is possible for adolescents and adults to get this disease.
When to See a Doctor
Diseases of the hands, feet and mouth are usually mild illnesses but result in a few days of fever and relatively minor signs and symptoms. Contact your doctor if a sore throat or sore throat prevents your child from drinking fluids. And if your child’s signs and symptoms worsen after a few days, contact your doctor.
Conclusion
Hand foot and mouth disease is a very contagious and viral disorder. This disease is especially prevalent in children and the elderly. Although quite familiar and common, it can sometimes take a deadly shape if not treated at the right time. It is very important to understand the symptoms and treat them accordingly. Doctors diagnose the disease through observation of physical symptoms. Honestly, there is nothing that doctors can do to cure this disease. However, the doctor may prescribe medication to reduce the symptoms of fever and pain.
If you notice any signs of dehydration in your baby, such as dry mouth or urinating less than usual, tell your doctor right away. If the child is less than 3 months old and the fever is 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, he should be taken to the doctor immediately. This type of fever needs to be treated quickly in children of this age. If the child has this disease, the child’s body temperature should be monitored and his food and fluid intake should be monitored.
Know also about Appendicitis: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment.