While the virus certainly can be gruesome, and often painful, most people do recover at home with the help of symptomatic care such as fever-reducing medications.
There are no specific medications for hand, foot, and mouth, and since it’s a viral illness, “no antibiotics are going to get rid of it,” Agwu said.
If you or your children do get sick, you should “try to avoid spreading it to anyone else,” Thomas said.
Anyone who is sick with hand, foot, and mouth should isolate from others so they don’t pass on the virus, while also hydrating and eating enough nutrients. The virus tends to last for about a week in most people, Thomas said.
“If you’re having more severe symptoms, like if you’re having a lot of ulcers in your mouth, it may take up to 10 to 14 days to resolve fully,” Thomas added.
Some people require additional care, though. If you aren’t able to hydrate, or keep your sick child hydrated, you should seek medical care, Thomas noted. The same is true if whoever is sick isn’t able to eat enough.
Duchon added, “If you’ve had hand, foot, and mouth and afterwards, or towards the end of the illness, you’re feeling really, really tired or having trouble breathing, those are things that are really serious to look for that can mean that the heart has been affected. That’s a very rare but serious complication.”
Hand-washing is a good way to protect yourself from catching this virus.
Source link
