Hand-foot-mouth disease: symptoms, causes and treatments

Your children are already well integrated into the school year and, although their backpacks are full of papers and illustrations, they could bring something else home this fall: the ultra-contagious hand disease, foot-and-mouth disease, mouth with Coxsackie virus.

After hearing about news stories – from Pink singer's son to New York Mets' pitcher, Noah Syndergaard – as well as many campuses reporting outbreaks, parents worry about the diagnosis of Coxsackie.

Deena Blanchard, pediatrician in New York, says parents do not need to be alarmed. "Basically, it's a virus with a name." It's not much different to say that your child has a cold, "she says, adding," Sometimes when you put a name on a drug, people panic. "

Here is a reminder of what it is and the best ways to treat it.

1. What is the difference between the Coxsackie virus and foot-and-mouth disease?

The Coxsackie virus may be mild or cause a wide range of symptoms such as fever, sore throat, irritability, headache, abdominal discomfort or nausea.

The hand-foot-mouth disease – not to be confused with hoof-mouth disease, which only animals can catch – is a specific disease caused by the Coxsackie virus, named after the city of Coxsackie, New York, where it was isolated in the late 1940s.

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2. What are the symptoms of hand-foot-and-mouth disease?

With the variation of the hand, foot and mouth, children will have fever, irritability, sores in the mouth and throat and blisters resembling pimples. The bumps may appear on the hands and feet (hence its name), as well as on other areas of the body, such as the buttocks or the back of the legs. "They are not usually a nuisance, even though they can be itchy in older children," Blanchard says.

3. How is foot-and-mouth disease contracted? Can adults get foot-and-mouth disease?

Children are more likely because they are not great handwashers and they do not keep their fingers out of their mouths and noses, Blanchard says. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the virus can be transmitted through respiratory secretions, such as mucus and saliva, that are produced when children cough, sneeze, or talk.

It can also spread by contact with the fluid of the vesicles. If you have a case at home, disinfect surfaces that children touch, such as toys and doorknobs. This is possible, but less common among adults.

A person with FMD is the most contagious during the first week of illness and usually before they begin to develop symptoms. As is the case with other common childhood viruses, it is almost impossible to prevent the spread of the disease, and teach children how to wash their hands from an early age is your best practice. best defense.

4. What is the best treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease?

Since it's a virus, he just needs to take his course and most kids will improve after about a week or less of rest at home, Blanchard said. Medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen can relieve pain and fever. Encourage many fluids to prevent dehydration. And ice lollies can help relieve sore mouth and throat, says Blanchard.

5. Does the virus drop my child's nails?

Although this does not happen in everyone, the virus can stop or slow nail growth. So you can see a line on your child's finger or toe at the place where the old nail was, as well as the new one underneath. The symptoms associated with nails can appear two to six weeks after the initial infection and are usually painless. "It's upsetting, but not serious," Blanchard said. Another common side effect is peeling the skin of the hands and feet about a week or two after infection, which can be alleviated by an over-the-counter moisturizer.

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6. When should I seek additional medical treatment?

Most of the time, the hands, feet and mouth will disappear with rest and hydration, but Ms. Blanchard says her main concern is that sores in the throat and mouth expose children to a risk of dehydration . She says that even after the fever, parents should make sure that their children regularly drink liquids. "The children are so uncomfortable and they have trouble drinking … you have to go with straw every ten minutes," she says. If your child is severely dehydrated, contact your doctor as he may need intravenous fluids.

7. When can my child return to school after the hand, foot and mouth?

Your child may return to school once he has not had a fever for 24 hours. Having a few blisters is not a big deal, but if children have what Blanchard calls "widespread open wounds", they have to wait for these wounds to be dried up because the virus can sometimes be transmitted through their fluids. .