Hand, foot and mouth disease: What to do if your child develops symptoms

Over the past few weeks, Delhi-NCR has seen an upsurge in instances of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD). There is no need to panic, say experts, as the condition is minor and self-limiting and has no serious side effects. A mild, infectious viral infection that is frequent in young children is hand, foot, and mouth disease. Mouth blisters and rashes on the hands and feet are symptoms. The coxsackievirus is the most frequent cause of hand, foot, and mouth disease.

Hand, foot, and mouth illness have no specific treatment. However, hand, foot, and mouth disease spreads by physical contact, sneezing, or by coming in contact with the stool of the infected child. It may be possible to reduce your child's risk of infection by often washing your hands and avoiding close contact with those who have HFM.

Treatment

The infection will often heal without medication in 7 to 10 days. While the condition is still active, your doctor might advise specific treatments to help with symptom relief. These may consist of:

- There are topical ointments on the market or in pharmacies that can be used to treat rashes and blisters.
- Painkillers for headaches, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
- Medicated syrups or lozenges to relieve throat discomfort.

Symptoms

Any one or a combination of the following symptoms could be brought on by hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Here are some symptoms to watch out for:

- Fever
- Sore throat
- Having the flu
- Sore, blister-like lesions on the inside of the cheeks, the tongue, and the gums
- A rash on the hips, soles, and occasionally the hands. Although the rash rarely has blisters, it is not irritating. The rashes might present as tiny pimples, red, white, or grey depending on the skin tone
- Fussiness in young children and newborns
- Appetite loss

(Disclaimer: This article is simply meant to be informative. For further information, always consult a professional.)