This is a condition that I personally have had but never really thought twice about until I saw it first-hand in the pharmacy.
Hand Foot and Mouth Disease!
Sounds terrible. In reality not so!
What is it?
An infection caused by the: coxsackievirus
How did I catch it?
chances are you (or your child) walked into someone’s sneeze path (lol I made that up but it sounds cool) or contracted it sharing a harmless looking crayon at day-care
It can also spread via the oral-fecal route which is fancy for saying YOU DIDN’T WASH YOUR HANDS!
How do I treat it?
- Do not bust the blisters. This will only spread the disease to others!
- Fever: give paracetamol or ibuprofen (avoid aspirin in kids)
- Hydrate: sores/ulcers in the mouth can discourage kids (and adults) from eating or drinking. Instead offer sips of water or electrolytes e.g. Hydralyte
- Wait it out…the virus goes away after 4-7 days. No antibiotics are not effective against viruses. No vaccines exist at this point
How to prevent the contagion?
- Sneeze/cough etiquette: use a tissue or at the very least sneeze/cough into your elbow
- Wash your hands before/after eating, using the bathroom
- Minimize sharing of utensils, toothbrush etc as well as kissing (sorry folks!)
- Stay at home to cut down spread to others
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