“Oh that’s funny,” you think to yourself after noticing a few funny red marks on your child’s hands. A few hours later, they start to complain of a sore throat and have a fever. Next you notice blisters on their feet. What on earth? Friends, hang on…it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
It’s been confirmed that Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease is making its way through unsuspecting, summer-breaking kids all over the country. This highly (highly!) contagious virus doesn’t care about the season, or your vacation plans….once it’s acquired, you’re most likely in for a few miserable days.
What is It and How Does One Get It?
According to Mayo Clinic, Hand-Foot-and-Mouth disease is characterized by “sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet.” Symptoms include: fever, sore throat, red lesions on the gums, tongue and inside of the cheeks, a red rash without itching (but sometimes with blistering) that appears on the palms, soles and buttocks. The incubation period is three to six days. Meaning your child could have the virus for that amount of time before symptoms even appear. This is what makes controlling the spread so difficult!
Hand-Foot-and-Mouth disease is caused by an oral virus. It is most commonly spread by nasal secretions, fluid from blisters (gross!), saliva, stool, and respiratory droplets and spray from a cough or sneeze. So basically any way, any how. To prevent hand-foot-and-mouth disease from spreading, wash hands super carefully, disinfect common areas where your family congregates, help children with their hygiene and explain why it’s important they keep their hands out of their mouth, and last but probably most important, isolate contagious people. We’re afraid it’s best to be house-bound for awhile. The virus can live in an infected person for up to three weeks after symptoms clear.
Oh Great, We Have it. Now What?
There’s no specific treatment for Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease. It will simply need to run its course. Mayo Clinic explains that signs and symptoms should clear after 7-10 days.
Keeping your child comfortable will be key while they wait out this terrible virus. There are some great suggestions on how to keep your kid comfortable including an oral antiseptic to numb the mouth and over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol).
Relief
We polled our Rochester MN Moms Blog Community + Conversation Facebook group about their best remedies and treatments for keeping children comfortable during Hand-Foot-and-Mouth. Some of the suggestions include:
- A lukewarm oatmeal bath to help soothe the sores
- popsicles and cold food to sooth mouth sores
- avoid salty and spicy foods as this can irritate and cause pain to the lesions in the mouth and back of the throat
- keeping kids hydrated is really important. They might not want to drink because it hurts. Pedialyte pops are helpful in ensuring they get electrolytes
- coconut oil in the bath after hair has been washed to help soothe sores
- calamine lotion for blisters
- diaper cream high in zinc oxide helps dry up blisters in the diaper area
- lavender essential oil to help encourage sleep and provide a soothing aroma
Good Luck and Hang in there Moms!
The content (and any links) of this blog post should not be construed as medical advice. We encourage and recommend you discuss all medical care with your primary care physician. Nothing contained on this site is intended to replace the patient-physician relationship.
