Rise in hand, foot and mouth diseases this winter
Doctors offer tips on on how to keep common summertime sickness at bay
Dubai: A surge in the contagious ‘hand, foot and mouth disease’ (HFMD) among children is keeping doctors in the emirate on their toes.
The common summertime viral illness characterised by fever, painful sores in the mouth and rashes with blisters on hands, feet and buttocks mainly affects children under ten. However, recent bouts of the bug attack this winter have alarmed Dubai’s paediatricians.
“I have seen 20 to 25 cases of HFMD in the last couple of months. Most of the kids came with rashes on their hands, feet and mouths while some had boils on their buttocks as well,” says Dr. Mohammad Zaheeruddin, specialist paediatrician at Unicare.
“There’s definitely a rise in the number of such cases compared to this time last year,” says Dr. Naveen Kumar, specialist paediatrician at Aster Medical Centre who says he has been handling almost one case every second day for the past few weeks.
Since most HFMD symptoms resemble those of chickenpox, another contagious viral infection, many parents can be easily misled, warn experts.
“Although this disease runs its course without requiring any treatment, it is important for parents to still visit a paediatrician,” says Dr Riaz Ahmad Khan, specialist registrar, preventive services section at the DHA.
“In case of chickenpox, people have rashes mainly on the body near the abdomen areas and head. The blisters look different from those in the case of HFMD,” said Dr. Paddy Kilian, the Deputy Head of the Emergency Department at City Hospital who has recently seen 10 children with fever and painful sores in the mouth.
Some DHA tips on preventing HFMD:
Excluding any infected child from school for 10 days or until the child totally recovers
Wash hands with soap and water after going to the toilet, before eating, after wiping the nose
Avoid sharing cups, eating utensils, personal hygiene items
Wash any soiled clothing and any surfaces or toys that may have been contaminated
Cough and sneeze into your elbow (rather than your hands)
