Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is a mild, contagious viral infection, mainly common in young children below the age of 5.
However, anyone can get infected with the disease. It is caused by the coxsackievirus and has an incubation period of about 3 to 6 days.
This disease may not be very serious or life threatening, but it is highly contagious.
Children who visit day care centres, schools and other places of mass gathering are more prone to getting infected than the ones who don’t.
Identifying the symptoms
In order to keep our children safe, we need to first identify the symptoms of this disease.
Symptoms:
● Fever & Flu Like Symptoms
● Painful Mouth Sores
● Visible Rashes or blisters
● Loss of appetite
These symptoms may occur all at once or can start developing during the incubation period.
Prevention of the disease
The following steps can be taken to prevent the disease:
● Wash your hands often
● Encourage good hygiene practices
● Disinfect common areas
● Isolate from others
This disease is usually short lived, and does not require active treatment.
However, in case the symptoms get severe, it is advised to visit a healthcare professional so that they can aid with the healing process.