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Health sense: Watch out for hand, foot and mouth disease
Viruses and other infections affect young children more often than adults, as their immune systems are still developing and maturing
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iruses and other infections affect young children more often than adults, as their immune systems are still developing and maturing. One such infection is hand, foot and mouth disease.
This contagious infection can cause an epidemic when it breaks out. The most common victims are children in daycare centers or schools. Outbreaks may be so severe they can cause schools to close until the epidemic subsides. It is one of the diseases most watched out for in children at the Child’s Health Institute at Samitivej Hospital.
Hand, foot and mouth disease, a common infectious illness in infants and children, is characterized by a mild fever, painful sores in the mouth and rashes with blisters. The illness generally begins with fever, accompanied by poor appetite, a feeling of being unwell and, usually, a sore throat.
These may cause infected infants and toddlers to become irritable. One or two days after the onset of the fever, the characteristic painful sores develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers on the tongue, gums and the inside of the cheeks.
The skin rash starts out as flat, red spots that may turn into blisters, which also appear within one to two days. The rash does not itch, and usually appears on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It may also be seen on the buttocks. Not all symptoms will be present in all cases; an infected person may have only the rashes, or the mouth sores.
What exactly causes hand, foot and mouth disease? The answer is viruses that belong to the enterovirus group. The group includes polioviruses, coxsackieviruses, echoviruses and enteroviruses.
Coxsackie A16 is the viral strain that most commonly causes hand, foot and mouth disease.
However, there have been reports of the isolation of the enterovirus 71 strain in some outbreaks of the disease. Hand, foot and mouth disease should not be confused with the foot and mouth disease of cattle, sheep and swine. Although the names are similar, these two diseases are not related at all and are caused by different viruses.
This disease can be highly contagious as it is spread through direct contact with the mucus, saliva, fluid from blisters, or feces of an infected person. The use of unwashed, virus-contaminated hands, especially in children, may facilitate the spread of the infectious virus. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness.
However, despite the disappearance of the symptoms, the virus may remain in the infected person’s body for weeks. The previously infected child thus becomes a carrier and may continually be the source of infection for other children, spreading the infectious virus, even if he or she already appears well. It typically occurs in small epidemics in nursery schools or kindergartens. The virus cannot be transmitted from pets or other animals.
Children less than 10 years old are frequently infected with the disease, though there have been occasional cases reported in adolescents and adults. Children are more likely to become infected as they have yet to develop antibodies against the viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease.
However, not all people who become infected manifest the disease. Some may not manifest the symptoms but may still transmit the infectious virus to others. Although a person develops immunity after being infected, he may contract the infection again because there are other strains of the virus.
There is no specific treatment for hand, foot and mouth disease. Treatment is given to provide relief from symptoms such as fever, aches, or pain from the mouth ulcers.
Antibiotics are not helpful since the disease is caused by a virus. You can reduce your risk of infection by practicing good hygiene such as washing your hands thoroughly and often.
Hand, foot and mouth disease caused by coxsackievirus A16 infection is a mild disease and nearly all patients recover within seven to 10 days. Complications are uncommon. Rarely, a patient with coxsackievirus A16 infection may develop viral meningitis, while those with enterovirus 71 may develop viral meningitis and more serious diseases such as encephalitis.
Articles in this column, which appears every two weeks, are provided by a panel of doctors from www.flyfreeforhealth.com, the world’s first borderless health and wellness hub, providing global interactive health services just a click away. Join our free online seminar titled “Awful Period Pains”, on Tuesday June 22, 2010 at 4 p.m. Register your email address by SMS to +65 98473224 to receive the link invite. Email us at info@flyfreeforhealth.com
