The Implications of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease.

over 1 year ago

The first time I heard about, Hand-foot-and-mouth disease, I concluded that it was going to be a type of disease that affects just the hand, foot, and mouth, which is right for any layperson to describe considering the name, but once again, science and medicine have proven to be smarter and to let us know that, things are actually deeper than the name they bear.

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is a viral illness that presents itself as a vesicular eruption in the mouth, but it does not only affect the mouth as it has the possibility of also involving the feet, buttocks, hands, and genitalia. It is a highly infectious disease caused by the virus Enterovirus genus, most commonly known as, coxsackievirus. It can affect any age bracket but is more common amongst children who are below 5 years of age, it can spread from one person to another through unwashed hands or from surfaces that are contaminated with feces, saliva, or respiratory secretions.

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Within 3-6 days after contracting the infection, the symptoms that are common in children are; headache, sore throat, malaise, reduced appetite, feeling unwell, and painful red blisters around the mouth. Usually, the first signs that show the presence of Hand, foot, and mouth disease are blisters and sores around the mouth. The lesions can appear on the hand and on the feet which makes the identification easy.

The clear signs of Hand, foot and mouth disease happen in different stages; the first stage is where there is high temperature, lack of appetite, and sore throat. The second stage would usually begin after a few days and it will be characterized by mouth ulcers which could be highly painful, a rash of spots on her hand and feet, and sometimes the things and buttons are not also left out. The rash that comes out often could have a pink, red, or dark look depending on your skin tone. Some cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease could result in dehydration, this illness would result in sores in the mouth and the throat as well, causing serious difficulty whilst swallowing. It is advisable to encourage your kids to consume more water especially when they are ill, at the point when they become extremely dehydrated, they would require intravenous fluid (IV) fluids.

Viral meningitis is another possible case of complication, it is a rare infection and inflammation of the meanings membrane and cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and the spinal cord.

Encephalitis is a rare but rather serious complicated disease that could come from hand, foot-and-mouth disease, it is a life-threatening disease that involves brain inflammation.

The risk of having hand-foot-and-mouth disease can be reduced through;

Consistent washing of the hands, at least rub your hands together for 20 seconds with soap and water, ensure the washing of your hands after changing a baby's diaper and using the toilet. Our hands should also be washed before cooking after we sneeze, cough, and blow our nose, in a case where there is no swift access to soap and water, then hand sanitizer would be a better option.
Disinfecting areas and surfaces around the home will help out a lot, if you plan to do it yourself, you have to clean with soap and water first, then make a diluted solution of water and chlorine bleach, bear in mind that, the virus could live for days in common areas and even door knobs and shared items like toys.

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Stay away from those who have the illness or have an appearance of the illness, if you have the illness, stay away from others and from work as well.

If the disease has no case of complication, it isn't necessarily anything to worry about as it would go away on its own within 7-10 days, but this is not to limit you from seeking professional help as doctors would most often recommend some form of treatment to help ease the condition with over the counter prescription, ointments to soothe rashes and blisters, pain medications to help relieve headache and sore throats.
Not disputing the need to see a medical expert, but here are some home remedies to help relieve the pain and weird feeling from the blister;

Reduce the level of spicy or salty food consumed.
Try to drink cold beverages instead of the warm ones.
Suck some ice chips or popsicles.
Reduce fruit drinks, citrus fruits, and soda.

There is another disease known as Foot-and-Mouth Disease, it is not the same as hand-foot-and-mouth disease, the former affects cows, sheep, pigs, and goats while the latter affects just humans. It is impossible for humans to get the version of animal disease and on the other hand, it is also impossible for animals to get the version of human disease.