Hi there,
Thank you for choosing healthcaremagic.
I will be happy to answer your question.
You mentioned that your 16 week infant has hand foot and mouth disease and is not feeding well and is also screaming.
With hand, foot and mouth disease, the biggest concern is
dehydration especially more so for infants, the likelihood of
viral meningitis is low but is definitely something to keep in mind. If you are unable to console his crying, or his scream is unusual in character or he is excessively sleepy, then you should not wait and take him to the ER or his
pediatrician rightaway.
Sometimes the screaming maybe related to the pain due to the sores for which he may need pain medication to control the pain. If
tylenol is not helping, then you can discuss with his pediatrician about other pain medication alternatives.
Since your son is only about 4 months old and is unable to take much by mouth, I would suggest you take him to his pediatrician to rule out dehydration and also you can have him evaluated for his screaming.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes.
Regards,
Dr. Sumeet.