In the past few days there have been reports of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease amongst school kids. There seems to be a panic gripping the parents and school authorities alike. Some schools have gone to the extent of temporarily suspending offline classes, further fueling the atmosphere of panic.
The general public should be aware that the HFMD is not a new disease. Doctors, especially Dermatologists and Paeditricians, have been seeing this for many years now. The incidence may be on the rise in the last few years. This usually presents as a seasonal viral infection. It is a self limiting disease, with mild symptoms in majority cases. The only treatment required is sypmtomatic management and isolation of the affected kids.
For that, home isolation is enough. The IMA urges the public not to panic as it is a mild infection routinely seen around this time of year. Only the infected kids need to stay at home for 7-10 days, till symptoms subside, to prevent infection to others.
The parents and teachers just need to be aware of the symptoms and isolate kids accordingly. There is absolutely no reason to panic.
Dr (Mrs) Ramneek Sharma
President, IMA Chandigarh
Dr Vivek Malhotra
Hony State Secy, IMA Chandigarh
Convener, Chandigarh Dermatology Society
Dr Rohit Bansal
President ,Chandigarh dermatology society
