Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease cases rise among children

Srinagar, May 5: Over the past week, reports of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) cases among kindergarten children and those yet to join a formal school are on the rise. 

At least one school in Srinagar has closed down for a week in the wake of clustering of cases. Doctors, however, called the emergence of this viral infection ‘mild and seasonal’.

Many parents of young children in Srinagar have flagged the ‘unusual number of cases of HFMD’ in schools.

Irfan Ahmed, parent of a four-year-old girl, said her school, located in downtown Srinagar, has been off for the past few days due to several children in kindergarten having HFMD symptoms. “It was spreading among children, so the school authorities decided to close down the school for a few days to break the chain of infection,” he said.

Another school in Srinagar has also had many cases of HFMD; however, the school continues to function.

“Verbal instructions have been issued to keep sick children home,” said Saika Feroz, parent of a child studying in this school.

 Many parents fear that the spread of this infection is “very fast” and seek a “proactive approach” of school authorities to contain the communicable infection.

Although the reports are mainly coming in from school children, many children who are yet to join schools have also been affected. Doctors said the spread in schools appears more accentuated due to several children together at one place, risking spread.

Prof Parvaiz Ahmed, Head Department of Paediatrics, GMC Srinagar, said the surge in cases over the past weeks is an annual phenomenon. 

“For the past five-six years, we have seen the cases of HFMD rising every Spring,” he said.

Dr Parvaiz said that sometimes an unusual spike is seen, but the infection as such is ‘not a major threat’. He said closing of schools is not advisable. “This infection spreads through the faeco-oral route, and hand hygiene,” he said. He said parents must keep the child who has symptoms at home for a few days till the infectious period is over.

HFMD is a viral infection caused by coxsackievirus. It is contagious and mostly affects children under 5 years of age, that is the reason reports coming from kindergartens. However, it can also affect older children.

The symptoms include lethargy, sometimes fever, sore throat, and painful blister-like sores in the mouth and on the hands, feet. Sometimes buttocks are also affected. There is no treatment for this infection, and symptoms last 5 to 7 days. In case a child has fever, paracetamol or ibuprofen is used for symptom relief.

Preventive measures revolve primarily around hand hygiene, although ensuring children wash their hand every time they touch a surface is difficult. Contact with sick people must be avoided. Mouth and nose must be covered while sneezing and coughing if sick. Surfaces, such as school desks, door handles, chairs etc must be disinfected regularly. Children must be made to wash their hands regularly.