PSA: Hand, Foot, And Mouth Disease Is Rapidly Spreading In Children Under 5

Jul 26, 2018 by apost team

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is one of those dreaded illnesses that usually targets young children. It's a virus that's easy to contract and causes unsightly, uncomfortable red sores that can show up on all the body parts mentioned in the name. Sometimes a child will get the red bumps on their hands, feet, and mouth, while sometimes they will just show up on one or two of the three areas.

Some years are worse than others for Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. It so happens that this year is a particularly bad year. Young children from zero to five years old are at the highest risk of contracting the virus.

Keep an eye out for this sickness because it's very, very contagious!

Virginia is one of this year's hardest hit states when it comes to Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. If your child regularly attends a setting where they come into contact with lots of other young children, such as a childcare facility or early learning center, they could be at an increased risk of getting sick with this miserable illness.

apost.com

Along with the tell-tale spots, the virus has several other unpleasant symptoms, which includes a sore throat, painful hand, foot, and mouth blisters, and an elevated temperature that can last anywhere from one to five days. It's normal for kids experiencing the sore throat and fever symptoms to find eating and drinking uncomfortable.

Even if they don't want to eat it's important for parents and caregivers to encourage adequate fluid intake. It's especially important to stay hydrated during the dog days of summer we've been experiencing!

Though children are the most common victims of Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease, it's not unheard of for an adult to come down with the virus as well. So if your child ends up getting it, be careful to protect both yourself and their siblings from being exposed to the sick child's germs as much as possible. Because it's a virus the only way to treat it is to alleviate symptoms by giving those infected pain medications and fever reducers until it eventually goes away.

Make sure to do all you can to help noninfected kids and adults avoid contact with anyone who has a case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease so they won't catch it.

Thankfully, as awful as it looks, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease patients normally make a complete recovery. The only really dangerous thing to watch out for is dehydration due to the pain of swallowing leading to a lowered fluid intake.

If you or any of the special children in your life have ever come down with a case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, we want to know about your experience! What were the worst symptoms? How long did it last? Were there any unexpected complications? Feel free to tell us your story!

Pass this story along to your friends, family, and coworkers to let them know about the bad case of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease going around this year!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!