HAND FOOT MOUTH DISEASE HFMD worst hit since 2000. What should you know of HFMD?
April 16th, 2008 by ALVIN SOONG
What is hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD)?
HFMD is an illness caused by intestinal viruses, the more common strains being Coxsackie virus and Enterovirus 71.
Someone with HFMD usually has the following symptoms:
Fever for two to three days;
Sore throat and runny nose;
Rash (flat or raised red spots, some with blisters) on the palms of hands, soles of feet or buttocks;
Mouth ulcers;
Poor appetite;
Vomiting and diarrhoea; and
Tiredness and weakness.
Patients are infectious for the duration of the illness.
Does the illness affect only children?
No. Both adults and children can be affected.
Young children, particularly those under the age of five, are most susceptible.
What is the treatment for HFMD?
No specific treatment is available, except medication to relieve the symptoms of the disease.
Can you die from it?
Most cases of HFMD are mild. Occasionally, serious complications involving the nervous system, heart and brain can occur, leading to death.
Sources summarised from Straits Times 16th April
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TO cover yourself against HFMD, it would be good to take up a PAID (Personal Accident Infectious Disease) which covers HFMD as one of the infectious disease coverage. Others infectious disease cover would be SARS, Mad Cow Disease, Bird Flue, Dengue Fever etc.
You may want to find out more about this immune booster ESBERITOX N which has been used by German doctors for more than 50 years to treat acute viral infections. Malaysian doctors have used it successfully to speed up recovery from HFMD especially in children.