Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common virus that commonly affects children and can cause painful spots and blisters on the mouth, throat, and hands and feet.
Image credit: contributed
A virus called foot-and-mouth disease is making its way through Kamloops.
It is a common viral disease that mainly affects babies and children, but can sometimes occur in adults and is caused by a group of viruses called enteroviruses, according to the Canadian government.
The virus is considered mild and is not a disease notifiable to the Home Health Authority, but it is highly contagious and in severe cases can cause painful symptoms such as blisters on the hands, mouth, throat and feet.
Some parents are concerned about taking their children to crowded places such as parks and water parks this summer for this.
Kamloops mother Jordan Bri-anne O’Beirne said her two-year-old son caught the virus at a water park in the Westsyde community on June 30. He later discovered that he was not the only father who visited the park recently and finished. a few days later with a sick child.
“Other mothers in the area are together on a Facebook page and that’s how we linked the virus to the water park,” O’Beirne said. “The same day we were in the park someone made a post about their baby having the virus there. Then it happened to us along with a few others.”
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Beirne said a few days after visiting the water park that her daughter had a high fever that did not break for 24 hours. The next day, the boy had a itchy red rash all over his body and blisters on his tongue.
“He was absolutely miserable, his skin was sore and itchy,” he said. “It took a solid week to feel better.”
As soon as her daughter began to feel better, Beirne’s boyfriend contracted her.
“He didn’t have the rash, but he had blisters on his throat and mouth and wounds on his hands,” he said. “Sometimes it spreads to parents and is more painful for adults. He has been taking Tylenol and the pharmacist suggested that he take Benadryl orally and apply steroid cream.
Beirne said the family stayed home until it was best to prevent the virus from spreading and that they wash their hands a lot, but said the virus continues to spread throughout the city.
“All the time I meet other moms who are going through this, it’s pretty much all over Kamloops,” she said.
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Hand, foot and mouth disease is more common in summer and early fall, according to HealthLink BC
Symptoms begin three to five days after contact with an infected person, usually with a mild fever, then small, painful blisters may develop on the inside of the mouth, tongue, or gums.
Small red spots may appear on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and sometimes on the ass, and may turn into blisters.
Once infected a person becomes infected for 7 to 10 days and it is possible to have the infection without symptoms.
The virus is transmitted through saliva, through air droplets that are transmitted to sneeze and cough and to touch objects contaminated with infected air droplets.
It can also become infected by touching surfaces contaminated with blister fluid or feces. The virus can remain in the intestines of an infected person for up to several weeks and can spread during that time, BC Health said.
Disease of the hands, feet, and mouth can spread easily to daycares and other places where children are nearby if proper hygiene practices are not used. Good hygiene during and after infection is very important to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
The disease of the hands, feet and mouth is not a notifiable disease, so Interior Health was not informed of the number of current cases of the virus, according to an email to iNFOnews from Interior Health.
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