What to do if my child develops hand, foot and mouth disease?

An increase in cases of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) has been reported in the past four weeks across Delhi-NCR. According to doctors, there is no reason to panic as it is a mild, self-limiting disease with no significant adverse effects. It lasts seven to ten days.
What is hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD)?
HFMD is a common, viral, self-limiting disease, which is predominantly seen in children. It spreads physical contact, sneezing, or coming in contact with the stool of the infected child. While children below five years of age are prone to be affected it, teenagers and adults have also been infected the same. The infection can affect people of all ages but it usually occurs in children under the age of five.
What causes the disease?
HFMD is caused a strain of coxsackievirus, most commonly the coxsackievirus A16. This virus is part of a group of viruses called enteroviruses. In some cases, other types of enteroviruses can cause HFMD.
What are transmission points?
HFMD transmits through direct contact with unwashed hands or a surface containing traces of the virus. Touching an infected child’s faeces, such as while changing diapers, then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth can transmit the virus.
Touching objects and surfaces that have the virus on them, like doorknobs or toys, then touching eyes, nose, or mouth can also cause infection. Be mindful about liquid from blers.

What are the symptoms one should watch out for?
According to Dr Krishan Chugh, Director and Head of the Department of Paediatrics, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurgaon, symptoms are very much like the common cold with sore throat, fever and runny nose, decreased appetite, headache, irritability, malaise, painful red blers in mouth, drooling and red rashes on hands and soles of feet.
“A day or two after the fever, painful sores develop in the tonsils. Rashes and red spots develop on the palms and soles. The rashes are not itchy and harmless,” he adds.
Symptoms begin to develop three to six days after contracting the infection. This period is known as the incubation period.
A fever and sore throat are usually the first symptoms of HFMD. The characteric blers and rashes show up later, usually one or two days after the fever begins.
The rash usually looks like flat red spots. The spots can be harder to see on darker skin tones, so it’s easier to check the palms of hands and the bottom of feet where the condition may be more noticeable.

Lesions can appear on all surfaces of your hands and feet but this is one of the few times a rash on your palms and soles occurs, which is why it’s easy to identify.
Most children with HFMD will also have painful sores in the mouth. Check their tongue — including the sides — and throat.
What’s Tomato Flu? It’s a variant of the Hand-Foot-Mouth disease.
Tomato flu has been determined to be a clinical variant of the hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) and results in tomato-shaped red blers on several parts of the body. It is caused a group of enteroviruses (viruses transmitted through the intestine).
Tomato flu, which has been intermittently reported from Kerala over the years, was thought to be an after effect of chikungunya and dengue but has now been determined to be HFMD. It has been seen affecting young children more. Other than blers, Tomato flu results in fever, joint pain, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. The lesions are usually located on the tongue, gums, inside of the cheek, palms and soles.
What protocol to follow?
According to a Union Health Minry advisory, if children develop symptoms, they should be isolated. Their utensils, clothing and bedding must be regularly sanitised, they must be kept hydrated, and the blers caused the infection must be cleaned with warm water.
Usually over-the-counter medication like Paracetamol can relieve fever and pain caused mouth sores. But ensure you give them child-friendly dosage and consult your peediatrician. The child should drink enough liquids and stay hydrated. Mouth sores can make it painful to swallow, so your child may avoid drinking. If symptoms do not subside in seven to ten days, consult a doctor immediately.