The Medicine Box: Hand Foot Mouth — all you need to know

Cases of Hand Foot Mouth — a common viral infection which affects children, especially those 8 years old or younger — have been reported to be rising in some parts of the country.

In May, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu told officials to be cautious due to emerging cases of Hand Foot Mouth in Kerala. Pediatricians in Mumbai have also reported a spurt, with some diagnosing and treating anywhere up to 25 percent of their patients with Hand Foot Mouth almost daily over the past fortnight. So, in light of schools reopening and mobility of children increasing, we asked paediatricians some of the most important points to note when it comes to the Hand Foot Mouth disease

Hand Foot Mouth is defined as a common virus amongst children which causes sores on the hands, feet and mouth. It can also be found in other parts of the body. The incubation period of this virus is between 2 and 7 days. The most important point to note is that it is a highly contagious virus which spreads via direct contact and through respiratory secretions. Hence no, school or outings for infected kids.

The virus, doctors note, has been around years and we see spikes in some years versus other years. This year they have indicated they are seeing far more cases than they have in previous few years. Doctors are seeing cases in as young as 9 months and as old as 8-9 years this time around.

No. The good part, doctors assure, is that a majority of the cases are not serious and have no long-term consequences. However, high fever, persistent fever, and any unusual symptoms need to be watched out for and reported to doctors immediately. One of the conditions to watch for are sores emerging in the throats and mouths of children, which can be painful — children can get dehydrated or weak due to lack of food or enough water. Doctors advise giving soft, slurpy, even cold, food so that it doesn’t hurt the throat.

It resolves on its own generally, peaking on the fourth or fifth day and subsiding thereafter. Most of the time, children do not need anything more than pain medication such as paracetamol and soothing lotions such as lacto calamine to calm the blisters. Home remedies are not advised.

Yes, children need to be isolated 7-10 days or as long as the doctor indicates. Children are infectious from the first day of the fever or the blister. The adult who is taking care of the child need not be isolated. Adults are not at risk of contracting the infection because doctors indicate most have already been exposed hence, developing immunity against it

Doctors say there are different strains which can emerge, so while they will develop immunity to one strain, they could be infected by another, should it emerge. However, in case your child has had it in the recent past, then a relapse is uncommon.

No, there is no vaccine for Hand Foot Mouth.

No. Both are different diseases and are not correlated.