Parents unaware of hand, foot and mouth disease

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Health Writer

When toddler Chase Iwamuro of Manoa developed a fever and a rash on his palms and the soles of his feet last year, his father, Channing, worried about chickenpox or measles before learning that the boy had the common but not widely known hand, foot and mouth disease.

Channing Iwamuro said Chase got the illness just before he turned 2, after playing with other young children who also became ill. Iwamuro got some help from a cousin, Ann Sasuga, who is a public health nurse.

Sasuga, a pediatric nurse practitioner with the state Department of Health, said the illness often shows up at preschools and elementary schools, where it can spread quickly.

She said the illness worries parents who aren't aware of it. "It's a little bit of a scare because they don't know what they're seeing," she said.

Dr. Joan Chang, medical coordinator for the disease investigation branch of the state Department of Health, said the disease can start with a mild fever, loss of appetite and general feeling of sickness.

It frequently includes sores in the mouth or a rash with blisters.

Chang said the disease is mild, especially common in infants and children 10 and younger. It usually goes away on its own within a week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traces the cause to several viruses. And the disease is not related to the similar-sounding foot-and-mouth disease in livestock, also known as hoof-and-mouth disease. For more information on the Web, go to www.cdc.gov and search for "foot and mouth disease."

Chang said the usual treatment is to make the child comfortable with a pain reliever like acetaminophen or ibuprofen, a diet of soft foods, and lots of liquids and rest. "We probably all had it when we were young but we just don't remember," she said.

People can help prevent the disease by washing their hands frequently.

Sasuga said parents could report the symptoms to the doctor over the phone to provide an opportunity for the doctor to schedule such patients away from others.

The CDC says the disease usually is more common during the summer and early fall. But Sasuga said it turns up yearround in Hawai'i and seems to be a little more common in warmer weather. "In a normal healthy child, it just runs its course," she said.

Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2429.