Hand Foot And Mouth Disease Affects Mainly Children And Adolescents

HFMD or the hand, foot, and mouth disease is a very common illness of infants and children caused by a virus. It most often appears in children under 10 years old. This disease is characterized by high fever, sores or ulcers in the mouth, and a rash with blisters. The blisters may firstly appear in the mouth, then on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. The skin rashes may also appear on buttocks and on the legs and arms. The ulcers into skin of the mouth usually appear on the tongue, the sides of the cheeks, gums or near the throat.

The most common causes of HFMD or the hand, Foot and Mouth disease are enterovirus 71 (EV71), coxsackie virus A16 and other enteroviruses. The enterovirus group normally includes coxsackieviruses, polioviruses, echoviruses and other enteroviruses. Individual diseased cases and outbreaks of hand, foot, and mouth disease occur worldwide, more frequently in summer and early autumn especially in temperate countries. In the recent years, major outbreaks of hand, foot, and mouth disease attributable to enterovirus EV71 have been reported in Malaysia in the year of 1997 and in Taiwan in 1998. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is endemic in Malaysia and occurs every year.

The number of cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease in Sarawak, tends to increase from February to June. Hand, foot, and mouth disease occured by coxsackie virus A16 infection is a mild disease and nearly all patients recover within nearly 7 to 10 days. Complications of the disease are uncommon. Hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by Enterovirus EV71 may be associated with neurological complications such as aseptic meningitis and encephalitis. Cases of incurable encephalitis which occurred during outbreaks of HFMD in Malaysia in 1997 and in Taiwan in 1998 were caused by EV71. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is moderately contagious. A diseased person is most contagious during the first week of the illness. The infective virus can be transmitted from person to person via direct contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters, or the stool of infected persons.

The infective virus may continue to be excreted in the stools of infected persons up till 1 month. Hand, foot, and mouth disease is not directly transmitted to or from pets or other animals. Hand, foot, and mouth disease begins with a mild fever, poor appetite, malaise with feeling sick, and frequently a sore throat. One or several days after the fever begins, painful sores develop in the mouth. The rashes begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. They are usually located on the gums, tongue, and inside of the cheeks. The skin rash develops around 1 to 2 days with flat or raised red spots, some with blisters on the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet. A person with hand, foot, and mouth disease may have only the rash or the mouth ulcers. Hand, foot and mouth disease is normally diagnosed based on a complete family history and physical examination of the child. It is generally suspected on the appearance of blister-like skin rash on hands, feet and mouth in children with a mild febrile illness.

• Cassandra Bagley
• 30/01/2009, 6:59 AM
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