A Facebook post from a Filipina mother has gone viral after she warns the other parents about letting their kids play in playhouses. Madelyn Bercasio Gurango claimed that her son contracted Hand Foot and Mouth Disease after he played in a playhouse.
Gurango shared that she took her son in a mall’s playhouse as her reward for his recovering health from cough and colds. The next day, he started vomiting with a spiking fever of 39°c. Rashes started to appear from his soles upwards to his hands and mouth. This prompted her to take her son to the emergency room.
It turned out that he was infected by a virus and got hand-foot-and-mouth disease or HFMD. This is usually caused by coxsackievirus a16 and enterovirus 71.
The hand-foot-and-mouth disease has symptoms
- including ulcers,
- or sores, inside or around the mouth,
- and reddish rashes or blisters on the hands, feet, legs, or even buttocks.
While the rashes look unpleasant, it is not serious. However, if children get this disease, they will be irritable dues to the itchiness.
The virus can be passed through direct contact with someone who has it or from something that has been in contact with the virus such as the toys in a playpen, tables, or doorknobs.
The early symptoms may include a sore throat and fever. The blisters inside the mouth can be painful and will cause children to have a difficulty with eating and swallowing. You must keep kids hydrated and well nourish to fasten the recovery.
The flat rashes may eventually turn into blisters. However, the HFMD will eventually go away after 7 to 10 days. Take note that HFMD is not the same as foot-and-mouth disease
There is no direct treatment for this disease. Expect the pediatrician to suggest anti-itch lotion, pain relievers, and antibacterial creams t avoid bacterial infection of the blisters.
As a parent reading this story, we should be aware that there are many diseases not only HFMD that you can get from playground and public areas.
