Handwashing is key in preventing hand-foot-and-mouth disease. As kids prepare to head back to school, a pediatrician says parents should teach their kids to cough and sneeze into their elbow to help prevent the spread of the disease.
“We have seen kids and parents with it, and we had a physician here at the hospital get a very bad case of it. That reminds us that we’re all susceptible to it,” said Dr. Ashanti Woods, of Mercy Medical Center.
According to the Maryland Department of Health, independent cases of HFMD are not reportable, but outbreaks are. Outbreaks are defined as 25 percent or more cases in a classroom or other identified group within a seven-day period.
Thirteen outbreaks have been reported between June 1 and Aug. 8 in Maryland. Last year, six were reported during the same time period. In 2016, 20 outbreaks were reported and in 2015, only one outbreak was reported in the same time period.
Symptoms include a rash on the hands and feet and sores in the mouth. It is spread by contact with saliva or mucus.
Woods said the virus is most commonly seen in children.
“If an adult does not practice good hand hygiene, an adult certainly could get it. So it’s unusual, we don’t see a lot of adults with it, but they can get it,” Woods said.
Summer is the peak season for the virus, Woods said. His office has seen more than 100 cases this summer.
Treatment can include over-the-counter pain medicine, steroid cream and staying away from other kids.
“Any child who has (a) fever, if they have sores on their hands that have not dried over, if they’re having frequent stools or if they’re highly fatigued, that’s the child who should stay home. Usually after being diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease, a child is usually safe to return to school in maybe about three to five days,” Woods said.
While most cases of HFMD are mild, Woods said there is a type that can lead to neurological symptoms, like seizures and persistent headaches. He said that strain is rare and he hasn’t seen any cases this year.
Be the first to comment