Pediatrician warns about hand, foot and mouth disease

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/07/2022 (1213 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Although the prevalence of hand, foot and mouth disease in Manitoba this summer remains unknown, pediatricians in various parts of the country are seeing more children with the viral infection.

It’s difficult to get data on the incidence of infection, but there’s anecdotal evidence of an increase in the virus, which causes a rash, blisters, and fever.

Public health doesn’t track cases because hand, foot and mouth disease is not considered a reportable virus. Unlike with flu and COVID-19, outbreaks don’t have to be publicly reported.

Winnipeg mother Erica Bulow spoke publicly last week to warn other families after she and her children suffered serious infections as a result of an outbreak at their Island Lakes home daycare.

Summer is typically the peak season for the virus that causes hand, foot and mouth disease (coxsackievirus) but more children are contracting it now than at any point since the pandemic began, at least according to anecdotal reports from doctors, said Ottawa pediatric infectious disease physician Dr. Justin Penner.

He said there have been an increasing number of cases in hospitals and at daycare centres in Ontario.

“Certainly higher rates than we’ve seen over the past two and a half years,” he said.

That’s to be expected, since pandemic restrictions protected kids from catching other viruses as well, “but even looking back on pre-COVID times, it seems like there’s certainly been an upsurge over the past several weeks to months in cases that are presenting to hospital.”

Other provinces, and other countries such as India, have experienced increases in cases of the disease, Penner said. The reason may have something to do with waning immunity in children who haven’t been exposed to much since the pandemic began. Families are more likely to be gathering again, and kids have been back at daycare. The disease spreads through bodily fluids, including saliva, and passes easily from one child to another via shared toys.

Pediatricians haven’t seen a link between a past COVID-19 infection making people more susceptible to hand, foot and mouth disease, said Penner, who is also a member of the Canadian Paediatric Society’s infectious disease committee.

The viral infection is most common in young children, but adults can also suffer from it, and severe infections can cause brain swelling and meningitis. The incubation period is usually three to seven days, and kids can usually go back to daycare, school or other activities once they no longer get new sores and feel better. Penner warned the virus can still spread in some cases for weeks after full recovery — making proper hand-washing particularly important.

The virus can be prevented with regular handwashing and covering coughs — many of the same practices Canadians are used to in relation to COVID-19.

“After two-and-a-half years, we also worry there’s fatigue with hand-washing and the basics of respiratory disease prevention,” said Penner, who is from Manitoba.

Apart from his position at CHEO, where he sees the most serious cases of hand, foot and mouth disease and other infections, Penner also works as a pediatrician in Nunavut and occasionally in northern Manitoba.

One of the best things parents can do if their child contracts hand, foot and mouth disease — apart from ensuring they don’t spread it — is to make sure their child stays hydrated, even though sores in their mouths will make it painful for them to eat and drink. Popsicles are a good idea, as well as freezing rehydration drinks for kids.

Information about hand, foot and mouth disease is available here.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com