Foot and Mouth Disease in Babies
In many cases of hand, foot and mouth disease in infants the symptoms appear to start suddenly and can result to a dramatic symptomatic experience immediately after the onset. This disease is extremely contagious and is caused by the herpes virus, which can be contracted from the mouth, to the hands and the feet as the infant seems to expose themselves to the disorder.
There are certain symptoms that should be watched for when a parent suspects that their child has contracted the illness. Many parents are unaware of just how common that foot and mouth disease in infants is. The symptoms which are associated with the common infection are a fever that develops in the child and poor appetite or the child may appear to be more fussy than usual. After this point, usually two to three days later the child begins to develop sores on the hands on the feet and in the mouths.
How long do these sores last? These sores and the symptoms that come with the disease can last anywhere from seven to ten days. Symptoms appear from two to four days before the sores and can be an indication of the impending infection.
When a child is exposed to foot and mouth disease, they are often in contact with other children in the setting that is similar to a day care. As the disease has a high level of contagiousness, the children can contract the disorder from one child to another. Ensuring that hands are washed and that an infected child is removed from the premises can reduce the disorder from being contracted to other children within the day care setting. Unfortunately, the disease is often contracted before it is noticed, as the blisters do not develop on the body, on the feet and the hands until three to five days after exposure to the disorder.
There are certain complications that can occur from exposure to the disorder. In some cases, the brain can be exposed to the infection and therefore develop serious illnesses because of this fact. It is important to treat the disorder with anti viral treatment before it has the ability to be contracted to the brain.
Outbreaks of the common illness occur in the summer and fall months. This is when children are more than likely to be infected, as skin to skin contact is most common and can occur from hand to hand contact, mouth contact, and nose contact and even contact from the stool of the child.
