Kolkata: An increasing number of children are falling prey to hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD). With the monsoon in full swing, doctors apprehend a surge of this infection as the virus is extremely contagious. While the disease is self-limiting in most cases, a few children, especially the younger ones, might need hospitalization, mainly for dehydration.School-going patients may lose at least a week of classes, doctors said.
Caused by Coxsackievirus, doctors said that fever is often the first sign of the infection, followed by painful oral blisters and rashes on the hands and feet.
There is no definitive treatment by medication for symptomatic relief.
At present, the affected are mostly schoolkids. “Last week alone, I came across five-six new cases. This spike is likely due to the virus becoming more active during the monsoon. Symptoms include fever and rashes on the hands, feet, buttocks and inside the mouth. Interestingly, some patients had also shown atypical symptoms, with no rash in the mouth, despite the disease’s name. It is essential to keep affected children isolated and not send them to school or public places,” said paediatrician Sumita Saha at Fortis Hospital Anandapur.
While cases started cropping up around three-four weeks ago, the numbers have been spiking in the past week. The infection is affecting kids mostly between one and seven years of age. Doctors said the virus thrives in hot and humid weather and HFMD is likely to linger till the monsoon ends.
“In some cases, the affected children are unable to eat due to the painful blisters in the mouth. This can cause dehydration, for which some may need hospital care. Only symptomatic treatment is available for the infection,” said associate professor of paediatrics Prabhas Prasun Giri of Institute of Child Health Kolkata.
Doctors said that the mouth ulcers can be very painful and children tend to refuse food due to it. It mostly spreads through droplets and a child can get re-infected.
“HFMD crops up mainly during the monsoon. If parents find the symptoms of the infection, they should not send the child to school for at least a week so that the infection is not passed on to other kids. Another concern is that symptoms of the infection could take a day or two to appear and, during this time, the affected child can pass it to others,” said Mihir Sarkar, professor of paediatrics at Medical College Hospital Kolkata.