Hand-Foot-and-Mouth: The Persistent Children Illness

Parents are more likely to have heard of hand-foot-and-mouth disease than are adults who do not have children. The disease is sometimes confused with a couple conditions normally found in four-legged mammals. Though the names may sound similar or have a related concept, you can rest assured that hand-foot-and-mouth, which usually causes mouth sores, is in no way related to hoof-and-mouth disease, also known as foot-and-mouth disease, or mad cow disease.

Unlike the two maladies found in animals, the illness we are talking about is usually not serious and occurs primarily in children. Again, one of the primary symptoms is sores that appear in and around the mouth, and on the hands and feet. This explains how the name originated. However, sores are not limited exclusively to these regions. They can also appear on other parts of the body, including the legs and buttocks.

Parents are always somewhat calmed to learn that the condition is not considered serious and that it will most likely disappear in a week or two without any lasting side effects. However, the ailment can be extremely painful while present. Kids may especially find eating difficult, making meal time more exasperating than usual. The virus that causes hand-foot-and-mouth can strike at any time, but has a history of being more prevalent during the warm months of summer and during the fall season.

Once a child acquires the virus, the incubation period (the time before symptoms exhibit themselves) can last for three to six weeks. Also the virus is persistent, hanging around in the body as long as several months after symptoms have disappeared. Furthermore, the infection can be passed along to other individuals at any point between the period when the virus enters and when it finally exits the body. However, it is more likely to be transmitted within the first week of illness.