Through countywide disease surveillance, the Grundy County Health Department has become aware of a number of local cases of coxsackievirus, also known as hand, foot and mouth disease.
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Through countywide disease surveillance, the Grundy County Health Department has become aware of a number of local cases of coxsackievirus, also known as hand, foot and mouth disease.
According to the health department, this illness is common among infants and children. It may present a variety of symptoms, but is characterized most often by fever, sores in the mouth and a rash with blisters. It may begin with a mild fever, poor appetite, an overall sick feeling and a sore throat.
Painful sores may also develop in the mouth one or two days after the fever begins. These sores begin as small red spots that blister and then become ulcers. They are usually seen on the tongue, gums and insides of the cheeks.
The skin rash also develops over one to two days, beginning as flat red spots. Some spots may have blisters. This rash does not itch and is usually seen on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. A person with hand, foot and mouth disease may have few or all of these symptoms, according to the health department.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a virus and is not to be confused with the foot and mouth disease of cattle, sheep and swine. The two diseases are not related and are caused by different viruses, health department officials said.
This illness is not usually serious and nearly all patients recover without medical treatment. It is contagious, however, and spreads from person to person by direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from the blisters or the stool of infected persons. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness. From infection to the onset of symptoms is usually three to seven days. While this illness is usually seen in children under 10, it can affect people of all ages.
According to the health department, the best method of prevention from this and other viruses is good hand washing and hygienic practices. There is no specific treatment for hand, foot and mouth disease other than treating the symptoms to provide relief from the fever, aches or pain from the mouth ulcers.