ENHANCING HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT ON HFMD

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral disease and mainly infects infants and young children below five years of age. It’s caused by Enterovirus, most commonly the Coxsackie virus. The viruses that cause HFMD spread through close personal contact, through the air from coughing and the faeces of an infected person. This viral infection is not indigenous to one area in particular but occurs worldwide. The symptoms mainly include fever, sore throat, feeling sick, painful, blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks, a rash on the palms, soles and sometimes the buttocks. Molecular testing is done based on the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cases of HFMD are on the rise and clinicians need to know how to make the diagnosis. The majority of patients with coxsackievirus- induced hand, foot, and mouth disease are treated usually as outpatients, but those who have CNS involvement may require admission for close monitoring. Most patients with HFMD fully recover within 7-21 days.