“This year, [cases seem] to be out of control,” cited Dr. Allison Agwu, professor of adult and pediatric infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In Maryland alone, infections are reportedly at “four to five times what they saw this time last year,” she described.
As per the Dr. Matthew Thomas, pediatric infectious diseases specialist at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s. “Some years you’ll see a lot of cases, like we’re seeing this year, and then it kind of fades away, where you don’t hear about it for a while,” he cited.
What Experts Say About the Virus
HFMD is a part of the enterovirus family, mentioned by the Dr. Jennifer Duchon, associate professor in pediatric infectious disease and newborn medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York.
“In the case of hand, foot and mouth, people can have symptoms like a common cold,” Thomas described. Dr. Agwu stated that these symptoms often have fever and respiratory issues like a runny nose. “But then a common feature is that they will have a rash, typically on the hands and feet, as well as ulcers or blisters within the mouth,” Thomas further said.
The mouth blisters, often forming in the back of the throat, are typically very painful, as per the Duchon. Meanwhile, the rashes on the hands and feet seem to be small red bumps that come a couple of days following the fever, Agwu cited.As recovery starts, “sometimes people’s hands will start to peel when the rash starts to go away, their feet will start to peel after the rash goes away,” Duchon said. “In really dramatic cases, sometimes your fingernails can fall off.”
How the Virus Spreads
Hand, foot and mouth disease is “super contagious,” Dr. Agwu highlighted. Transmission happens through respiratory droplets when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, or via fluid from blisters and contaminated environments.
“If a child who has the virus drools on toys at daycare, other kids could get sick from those toys,” Thomas stated. “It’s also spread in stool, so particularly for our infants who are not yet potty trained, someone who’s changing diapers is often putting themselves at risk.”
Treatment and Recovery
While HFMD appears to be alarming and cause notable discomfort, most patients recover at home using symptomatic treatments like fever-reducing medication and rest.
There are no antiviral medicines to cure the illness, and as Agwu described, since “it’s a viral illness, no antibiotics are going to get rid of it.”
FAQs:
- What is hand, foot and mouth disease?
It’s a contagious viral disease that results in fever, mouth sores, and rashes on the hands and feet. - Who is most at risk of getting it?
Children under 5 are most impacted, but older kids and adults can also become infected.
