How to Prevent Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease
By: Katrina Irwin
Updated: July 19, 2012
Dr. Mathew Devine the Associate Medical Director at Highland Family Medicine joined Katrina Irwin on News 8 at Sunrise Thursday. He talked about hand-foot-mouth disease/Coxsackievirus infection.
It is a relatively common viral infection that usually begins in the throat. It is most commonly caused by coxsackievirus A16, a member of the enterovirus family.
The disease is not spread from pets, but it can be spread by person to person. You may catch it if you come into direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stools of an infected person. You are most contagious the first week you have the disease.
The time between infection and the development of symptoms is about 3 - 7 days.
The most important risk factor is age. The infection occurs most often in children under age 10, but can be seen in adolescents and occasionally adults. The outbreaks occur most often in the summer and early fall.
The symptoms of HFMD are
Fever
Headache
Loss of appetite
Rash with very small blisters on hands, feet, and diaper area; may be tender or painful if pressed
Sore throat
Ulcers in the throat (including tonsils), mouth, and tongue
A history of recent illness and a physical examination, demonstrating the characteristic vesicles on the hands and feet, are usually sufficient to diagnose the disease. There are no specific blood tests that are done to detect it.
There is no specific treatment for the infection other than relief of symptoms. Treatment with antibiotics does not work and is not recommended. Over-the-counter medicines, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen can be used to treat fever. Aspirin should not be used in viral illnesses in children under age 12 years.
Salt water mouth rinses (1/2 teaspoon of salt to 1 glass of warm water) may be soothing if the child is able to rinse without swallowing. Make sure your child gets plenty of fluids. Extra fluid is needed when a fever is present. The best fluids are cold milk products. Many children refuse juices and sodas because their acid content causes burning pain in the ulcers.
Generally, complete recovery occurs in 5 to 7 days.
