Four schools in Hidalgo County are reporting cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.
It’s a virus that’s common in children and spreads easily through touch. So far, health officials say there are 60 confirmed cases.
“Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease is a contagious viral infection that typically affects children, mostly younger children under the age of five,” DHR Health Family Medicine Residency Program Director Dr. Naomi D’Acolatse said.
Doctors say the disease is commonly spread at schools and daycares.
“There have not been a publicized list of the schools due to privacy reasons, but they are considering this an outbreak and are monitoring closely,” D’Acolatse said.
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For parents like Jazlyn Mora, it’s personal.
The Pharr mother says her one-year-old was diagnosed with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease last month.
“[I noticed] when she wasn’t eating and when the blisters started occurring,” Mora said.
Mora says soon after, her daughter’s temperature spiked to 102. It was then doctors diagnosed the one-year-old with the disease.
“There was not going to be a cure. Just to take the medicine on time and that she wasn’t going to be able to eat for like a few days due to the pain that she’s having in the mouth and all over the body,” Mora said.
Mora’s daughter doesn’t go to daycare. It’s why she says she was so surprised by her daughter’s diagnosis.
“I just feel like we need to be more clean inside the house, or maybe she touched something or ate something that wasn’t good and contained bacteria,” Mora said.
Doctors say Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease can be spread through touch.
“Typically, children are touching every surface, and they’re putting their hands in their mouth and it’s very important that hand hygiene is the top priority,” D’Acolatse said.
The first signs are usually fever followed by sore throat and then blisters or ulcers around the mouth, on the gums, hands and bottom of the feet.
Parents are encouraged to keep their child at home for about a week after being diagnosed to stop it from spreading further.
Doctors say the disease lasts about seven to 10 days, and they should isolate the infected child for the first 24 hours.
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