Foot and Mouth Disease – Risks, Treatment, and Prevention


Foot and mouth disease is common and quite contagious. Sometimes fatal viral disease that affects domestic animals. But that does not mean that people cannot get it. People are also effects from this Foot and mouth disease.

It is an infection caused by the virus Coxsackie A16, but also can cause other germs of the same family.

Most of the time, the infection usually begins in the throat and then spreads to other parts of the body.

The routes of transmission of foot and mouth disease are aerial, through direct contact with a person who possesses the virus, or through feces.

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Foot and Mouth Disease Symptoms:

The symptoms that usually appear by the infection are:

  • Ulcers.
  • A sore throat.
  • Fever and general malaise.
  • Appearance of blisters in the mouth, hands, and feet and sometimes in other regions where the diaper is placed, such as the genitals or buttocks.
  • Lack of appetite
  • Cough
  • Appearance of a rash with red spots or blisters

The incubation period for foot and mouth disease is generally 3 to 6 days. The first symptoms usually are a sore throat and fever, which is around 38 ° C.

Not all patients have to present these blisters in the three most frequent areas. The main problem that can cause this disease is that the blisters that appear in the mouth of children can cause them to stop eating and drinking water.

When this happens, it is recommended that the doctor assess the patient to see their state of hydration. It is also advisable to go to the pediatrician if the child’s symptoms do not disappear as the days go by. You May Also Like To Read Cattle Diseases.

Prevention and treatment:

There is no vaccine to prevent foot and mouth disease. The most effective is to maintain a good hygiene habit by washing hands with soap and water, especially after going to the bathroom.

To reduce the risk of contagion it is advisable to frequently disinfect surfaces and objects used by children on a regular basis, including toys.

In addition, people with the virus must be avoided because it is highly contagious. This disease is most prevalent in the spring and autumn seasons.

With the physical examination of the specialist is usually enough to confirm the diagnosis of foot and mouth disease. If screening is not determinant, clinicians may take samples for virus culture or PCR techniques.

This technique involves the extraction of a small sample of DNA and its analysis to see if there is a virus in the body.

As for treatment, there is nothing specific to combat the disease. While it can manage medicines to relieve pain and fever.

It is imperative that the affected person drink cold water and milk in abundance and avoid carbonated drinks, as they can cause discomfort in ulcers.

For mouth blisters to be easier to carry. People with the infection can use mouthwashes or sprays that make the mouth numb and appear less discomfort.


It is an infection that is not usually very serious and the prognosis is good. It cures normally and sometimes without treatment.

Most often, the fever will go away in the next three or four days and the lesions of the mouth. In the hands and feet disappear a week. Complications occur on rare occasions.

One of them is dehydration because the affected one feels discomfort when ingesting liquids and tries not to do it.

This aggravation may require the admission of the patient to the hospital to give him/her the therapy.

In some cases, doctors have reported losing fingernails and toenails between the fourth and eighth weeks after the onset of the disease.

Other times, foot and mouth disease can lead to another more serious pathology such as encephalitis, aseptic meningitis or myocarditis.

Duration of the virus:

Once penetrated in the organism, the virus multiplies, without giving symptoms. It is considered that its incubation period lasts from four to six days.

Then mouth-hand-foot disease manifests with small ulcers on the tongue or on the inner wall of the mouth, which are four to eight millimeters thick and often cause pain.

  • In the interior of the mouth, small sores are formed that cause a slight pain and that they heal in the course of a week.
  • In the plam of the hand and the soles of the feet, or between the fingers, appear small blisters or spots with a slight relief that can remain in the same place even for ten days.

They usually do not cause itching. In some cases, rashes also form on the buttocks.

As A References: Wikipedia


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