Warning Issued: Doctors Confirm Outbreak of Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease
I know that diseases are serious business and one should treat them as such. But I want to know this: Who is in charge of naming the things?
Every time I hear about mad cow disease or elephantiasis or pica, I just shake my head. Sure, these are serious maladies, but they sure don’t sound that way.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is another such sickness. That jumble of nouns always makes me wonder who was responsible for its moniker.
Of course, it makes more sense when you understand just what hand, foot and mouth disease is and what it does. Caused by a virus, it spikes fevers, makes throats sore, drives down appetites and saps energy.
But that’s not all it does. It also causes a distinctive rash to break out on — you guessed it! — the hands, feet and mouth.
Though the disease isn’t serious, that doesn’t mean you should ignore it. Physicians have begun warning about an outbreak of the illness, particularly among children.
Why is it of particular concern for kids? Hand, foot and mouth disease is highly contagious, and as all parents know, young ones don’t always do a good job of keeping their hands clean.
In fact, that’s the number one way to avoid coming down with the illness. There’s no cure for hand, foot and mouth disease except rest and hydration.
Dr. Melissa Aquilo of Patient First in Glen Allen, Virginia, told WWBT that “it’s a miserable virus, but it will run its course in most people in three to 10 days. You get these red bumps in the mouth, but you can also get them in the hands and the feet. You can get them on other areas of the body, including the genitals and buttocks area.”
Though hand, foot and mouth disease can be transmitted by touch, that’s not the only way it spreads. It can jump from person to person through the air.
You know how the flu spreads? Hand, foot and mouth disease spreads the same way.
While children under five usually contract it, adults aren’t immune. New York Mets starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard recently landed on the team’s disabled list.
He didn’t damage a joint or break a bone. Rather, he came down with hand, foot and mouth disease.
The disease also struck down teachers, faculty and students at Pittsburgh Arlington PreK-8 in Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania. The school had to put its summer program on hold after 16 people contracted the illness.
Fortunately, the disease almost always runs its course after two weeks. And if the mouth sores start to hurt too much, an ice pop or cool drink normally helps.
However, if your symptoms last longer than 14 days or you develop a rash on only one side of your body, go see your doctor! It could mean you have something more serious.
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