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Suggest Treatment For Hand, Foot And Mouth Disease In A Child
Posted on
Tue, 8 Jul 2014
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 8 Jul 2014
Answered on
Mon, 28 Jul 2014
Last reviewed on
Question : they are sending my grandson home from day care with what they think is hand, foot and mouth disease. does he need to be quarantined while we are waiting to get in to see the Dr.?
Brief Answer:
He needs to be isolated!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about what your son is going through. I hope he soon recovers and get back to school.
Fifth's disease is caused by a virus and is extremely contagious. The disease is often through respiratory secretions and hand-to-hand contact.Minimizing contact with the affected person is very important for spread control. Pregnant women should keep a greater distance away from the seen the huge complications that this virus can cause to the developing fetus.
The illness is contagious in the week before the rash appears. Once the rash appears, the person with the illness is no longer considered contagious and doesn't need to be isolated. This means that by the tie the rash appears, there is almost no reason to continue isolation.
If the child has acute symptoms that need immediate relief, then an ER visit is warranted. However, if there are no severe symptoms, an appointment visit is okay. This is because there is no drug that would kill the virus and treatment consists manly in controlling the symptoms.
I will recommend that you keep a distance from him and minimize all contact while waiting on the confirmation of this diagnosis. There is no need for an ER visit unless he is in acute distress.
I hope this helps. I wish him well. Thank you so much for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
He needs to be isolated!
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.
I am so sorry to hear about what your son is going through. I hope he soon recovers and get back to school.
Fifth's disease is caused by a virus and is extremely contagious. The disease is often through respiratory secretions and hand-to-hand contact.Minimizing contact with the affected person is very important for spread control. Pregnant women should keep a greater distance away from the seen the huge complications that this virus can cause to the developing fetus.
The illness is contagious in the week before the rash appears. Once the rash appears, the person with the illness is no longer considered contagious and doesn't need to be isolated. This means that by the tie the rash appears, there is almost no reason to continue isolation.
If the child has acute symptoms that need immediate relief, then an ER visit is warranted. However, if there are no severe symptoms, an appointment visit is okay. This is because there is no drug that would kill the virus and treatment consists manly in controlling the symptoms.
I will recommend that you keep a distance from him and minimize all contact while waiting on the confirmation of this diagnosis. There is no need for an ER visit unless he is in acute distress.
I hope this helps. I wish him well. Thank you so much for using our services and do feel free to ask for more information and clarifications if need be.
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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