Hand Foot and Mouth Disease in Children
Hand Foot and Mouth disease is a contagious viral infection caused mostly by coxsackievirus and usually affects children below 5 years of age. It spreads by coming in contact with saliva, mucus or stool of an infected person.
Symptoms:
Hand foot and mouth in kids usually takes anywhere from 3 - 7 days after the baby is infected to show any symptoms.
Some of the common Hand Foot and Mouth symptoms are:
Fever
Sore throat
Reduced or loss of appetite
Fussy, cranky or troubled
Red painful blisters in and around mouth or back of the throat that appear usually 1-2 days after the onset of fever
Red rashes or red dots on hands, feet, soles of the foot and sometimes even on the buttocks, elbows and other parts of the body
Diarrhoea or vomiting
Treatment:
It usually resolves on its own in 1-2 weeks. Talk to your doctor for pain medications and topical creams to help soothe the blisters and sores. There are certain hand foot and mouth disease home remedies you can try to help ease the pain and aid healing:
Avoid giving your child citrus fruits, sodas and spicy food
Offer cold beverages or ice cubes to suck on to help numb the pain
Eating ice cream or popsicles also helps
Warm water gargling may soothe the throat and mouth with blisters
Warm soups or foods that are easy to swallow can soothe the throat
Things to do:
Prevention is better than cure. Babies are more prone to catch infections easily with their still developing immunity so its best to avoid situations and places where they could get one.
Crowded public places
Stay away from anyone with hand foot and mouth disease
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently, also ask anyone who holds the baby or near your child to do the same
Do not let your child touch things in public places or put things or hand in their mouth
Wash your child's hands thoroughly
Keep your surroundings clean and sanitized from time to time
Keep their things, clothes and everything your child uses washed and clean
When to see the doctor?
Call your doctor immediately if your baby is having any of the below symptoms. In rare cases hand foot and mouth disease can cause meningitis or encephalitis and need immediate medical attention
Fever in babies below 3 months of age
Fever higher that 102F in babies above 3 months of age
Difficulty in feeding or refusing to feed at all
Doesn't improve or show signs of getting better even after 10 days or gets worse
Has a weakened immune system
Itchy red sores that won't improve, irritable child that cant be consoled
Experiencing night sweats, chills, dehydration, weight loss or wheezing
Unusually sleepy, fatigued or shows signs of dehydration (dry skin and lips, sunken eyes and soft spot, fewer wet nappies)