Lubbock pediatrician Dr. Nawal Zeitouni said she has seen several cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease this week.
“Hand, Foot and Mouth can be very seasonal,” Dr. Zeitouni said. “We also see outbreaks of it when it happens because it’s just so contagious in certain age groups.
She warned day cares are at risk for spreading it, since it’s typically passed through saliva. The disease can live on toys or any other surface for several hours.
“If you go to the grocery, if you put them in a shopping cart and they’re drooling on the shopping cart, not everybody wipes those down,” Dr. Zeitouni said. “The next kid gets in and puts their hands or mouth on it and it can be spread.”
Local mother Mishel Jeffcoat learned how bad Hand, Foot and Mouth can be first hand. Both her and her daughter Hadley, 1, found blisters on their hands and feet the day after Easter.
“Hadley was fine honestly,” Jeffcoat said. “But I was absolutely miserable. I had blisters everywhere, my hands and my feet and then I started getting getting them on my face.”
Jeffcoat said she wants others out there to be careful, so they don’t catch it.
“Wash your hands and sanitize your carts at Walmart, and make sure that your kids aren’t putting their mouths on things at restaurants. It’s horrible so really take care of yourselves,” Jeffcoat said.
Dr. Zeitouni said Hand, Foot and Mouth causes fever, sore throat, blisters and pain. She said there’s no medication. The disease has to run it’s course.
“If your baby is running a significant fever and they’re very fussy or irritable for more than 24 hours you probably need to get checked just to make sure that you can differentiate whether it’s a virus or something we need to put them on medications for,” Dr. Zeitouni said.
