Kids in child care are especially prone to getting Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD). Find out how to protect your little ones from this contagious disease.
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is something you'll become very familiar with when your kid enters preschool, as children there are especially prone to catching it. Young Parents finds out more about this hot-topic illness with help from the Ministry of Health’s (MOH’s) website and Professor Paul Anantharajah Tambyah, senior consultant infectious diseases physician at the National University Hospital.
1 What is HFMD?
It is a common childhood viral infection caused by a group of intestinal viruses called enteroviruses. The most common culprit is the Coxsackie virus and, on rarer occasions, Enterovirus 71. While both adults and kids can be affected, young children – particularly those under the age of five – are more susceptible.
2 How does HFMD spread?
The illness is transmitted through direct contact with the nasal discharge, saliva, faeces or from the blisters of an infected person. In a preschool setting, this occurs when the saliva of one child is passed to another through shared toys or other common objects, and surfaces such as doorknobs.
3 What happens if my child is infected?
This story is from the January 2019 edition of Young Parents Singapore.
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This story is from the January 2019 edition of Young Parents Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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