Young children are prone to all kinds of infections, especially young children who do not yet have enough defenses to fight viruses. When they start to go to kindergarten and school, it is normal for them to become infected and appear at home with a different virus every so often. It is something completely normal and it will be very difficult for you to avoid it, but you can be alert to certain symptoms to be able to detect some diseases.
In this way, you will have the possibility to go to the doctor as soon as possible and your child will have the necessary treatment, before the virus or disease worsens. The most common diseases that children tend to contract in schools are those associated with viruses. Throat infections, flu and colds, but there are some diseases that we can confuse with these common virusesas they share some symptoms.
One of these diseases is the so-called hand foot mouth. It is so called because one of the symptoms of the disease occurs in the form of rashes on the hands and feet and mouth sores. The virus curiously affects these parts of the body.
Symptoms of the virus mouth hand foot
Although the symptoms of the hand-foot virus are general, not all people will have all the symptoms. Also, they do not all appear at once, but they emerge gradually. Hence, it can be confused with other common diseases, such as colds or chickenpox, due to the appearance of pimples. The most common symptoms are:
- Febrile states accompanied by general malaise. Whenever fever occurs, it is accompanied by general physical discomfort. The typical body pain that we all feel when we have a few tenths of a fever.
- Sore throat and sores. The throat is where the symptoms of the hand-foot virus usually begin, which is why it can be confused with tonsillitis. One of the biggest problems with this disease, apart from discomfort, is the appearance of sores in the throat. This can cause the child loses his appetite for the logical annoyances, and that he also rejects the taking of liquids. It is very important to control this, as a young child can become dehydrated very easily.
- Pimples and blisters. Another important discomfort is the appearance of eczema, pimples and blisters on the hands and feet. Although in a lower percentage, some babies may also have these sores in the diaper area.
How long does it take for the virus to disappear?
Typically, hand foot mouth virus lasts for between a week and 10 days approximately. Although there is no specific drug to treat this disease, the doctor may prescribe some medicine to control fever and discomfort.
It is important to maintain hydration in children and babies. It will be more difficult for them to heal the mouth sores, so you should ensure that they drink water and fresh dairy products, which help alleviate the discomfort.
Preventive methods
The hand foot mouth virus is highly contagious. It is mainly spread through the air so it is really difficult to prevent this disease. Since if a person still does not know they have the disease, they may be infecting anyone with whom they have a conversation. Much greater still is the contagion in young children. They spend the day together sharing toys, games and everything they can find.
But we can be especially careful in some aspects, so that we avoid as much as possible the contagion and spread of these germs. It is important take care of hygiene in children and wash their hands well frequently. Especially after going to the bathroom, since the foot mouth is also spread through the stool.
Therefore, if you have young children who go to kindergarten or school, and you see that they may present any of the aforementioned symptoms, avoid them going to school. It is important that children do not attend class with viruses that are easy to spread. In this way we can prevent the disease from spreading and taking longer to eliminate.
Think that if your child infects another child, this in turn will infect as many others. When your child has recovered, at school it may still be around among other children. In this way, your child could be infected again. Let's avoid these types of situations as much as possible, for the good of all children.