All About Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease (HFMD)

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than 5 years old. However, it can sometimes occur in older children and adults. It is an illness that causes sores in or on the mouth and on the hands, feet, and sometimes the buttocks and legs. The sores may be painful. The illness usually doesn't last more than a week or so.

Sometimes people become confused Hand, foot, and mouth disease with some other similar kind of disease name (foot-and-mouth disease). But they are not the same. foot-and-mouth disease or commonly known as mad cow disease almost always occur in animals.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by viruses that belong to the Enterovirus genus (group), including polioviruses, coxsackieviruses, echoviruses, and enteroviruses.
Signs & Symptoms Of HFMD:
- fever
- reduced appetite
- sore throat
- feeling of being unwell (malaise)
- painful sores can develop in the mouth (herpangina)
- skin rash with red spots (blisters may appear)
- red spot on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet may appear.
- blisters may also appear on the knees, elbows, buttocks or genital area.
- young children, may get dehydrated.

How It Transmitted?
- By saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus
- By blister fluid, and
- By feces (stool).

It Can spead through close personal contact, through coughing or sneezing, contact with feces or contact with contaminated objects and surfaces.

Who Are At Risk?
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease primarily affects children younger than age 10, often those under 5 years. Children in child care centers are especially susceptible to outbreaks of hand-foot-and-mouth disease.

Complication Of Hand-foot-and-mouth disease:
1. The most common complication of hand-foot-and-mouth disease is dehydration.
2. Viral meningitis: This is a rare infection and inflammation of the membranes (meninges)
3. Encephalitis: It is really rare. This severe and potentially life-threatening disease involves brain inflammation caused by a virus.

Diagnosis:
Doctor may take a throat swab or stool specimen and send it to the laboratory to determine which virus caused the illness.

Treatment:
No specific treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease. The signs and symptoms usually go away within 2 weeks. Topical oral anesthetic may help relieve the pain. Over-the-counter pain medications other than aspirin, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may help.