Charu Asopa’s daughter is suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease: Find out what causes it

Television actor Charu Asopa recently revealed on her YouTube channel that her daughter Ziana Sen is suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease. Asopa, who shares the eight-month-old with her estranged husband Rajeev Sen, said that the little one developed blers on her face, hands, legs and inside the throat.
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“She is not able to eat or drink anything. She is cranky all the time. Ziana had been crying a lot and was inconsolable. I spoke with the doctor who suggested a medicine for stomach ache. That helped her to sleep for two hours. But then, she woke up and resumed crying. I took her to the hospital around 2.30 am,” she said in the video.

The 34-year-old added that being a new and first-time mother, she was panicking and even broke down, but somehow found the strength for her daughter. “I gathered myself, I said [to myself] it is about my child and drove her to the hospital.”
The actor said while they were temporarily relieved and returned home, Ziana started to develop red spots on her face and hands later in the day. They called her doctor who said it could be a case of hand, foot and mouth disease.

“[The doctor] asked me to give her paracetamol for fever. It can take seven to eight days [for the symptoms to subside],” Asopa said, adding that the initial period can be difficult.
What is hand, foot and mouth disease?
According to Dr Dhanya Dharmapalan, consultant, pediatric infectious diseases, Apollo Hospitals, Navi Mumbai, hand, foot and mouth disease is an infection, which causes “blers-like-lesions predominantly over arms, including palms and legs — including feet — and painful sores (ulcers) in the mouth”.
The infection is caused viruses called ‘enteroviruses’, namely coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock)
“Because of the characteric dribution, it is called hand, foot and mouth disease,” the doctor tells this outlet.

She adds that the infection is caused viruses called ‘enteroviruses’, namely coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71. “It spreads through air via droplet infection and contact, and is contagious to other children.”
The infection is common in the younger age group of up to 10 years, especially for children below five years of age. “It is self-limiting and resolves in 7-10 days completely. There could be pain while swallowing due to lesions in the throat, for which paracetamol can be given. Keep the child hydrated. In case the skin feels itchy, calamine-containing-lotions can be used for relief. Daily bath and hygiene is advised. Do not send the child to school or for play with other kids till the lesions dry up,” Dr Dharmapalan concludes.
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