May 21, 10 | Posted by: David Melbye, M.D.

Hand, Foot and Mouth

We are seeing a lot of kids with “Hand, Foot and Mouth” disease right now.  This is a viral illness caused by the Coxsackie virus.  The symptoms are fever, painful red mouth blisters on the tongue and back of the throat and blisters on the hands and feet.  Kids can get any combination of these symptoms.  Some will only get the mouth sores, some will only get the blisters on the hands and feet and some will get both.  The lucky ones only get the feet and hand blisters because those are typically only a temporary cosmetic issue and not painful.  The mouth sores can be very painful and often times kids will not want to eat or drink.  This illness is contagious and often spreads quickly through daycare and school. 

Because it is a viral illness there are no medications to make Hand, Foot and Mouth disease go away.  You will want to treat the fever and pain with ibuprofen and acetaminophen and make sure to keep your child hydrated with lots of fluids.  For older kids (or parents) there is a “magic mouthwash” solution available through prescription.  This illness is self limited and typically lasts 5-7 days.  Kids are contagious while they are having fevers and developing new blisters or mouth sores.  The best way to prevent getting this illness is with frequent hand washing, but I’m sure you are already doing that.

This is a common springtime illness in this part of the country.  Hopefully your family won’t catch it.  Enjoy the warm weather!

No Comments »