Begin forwarded message:
From: Elaine Jenson <[email protected]>
Date: June 24, 2014 2:34:41 AM EDT
To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]>
Subject: [UCNeighbors] fyi Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease Alert
Worth cross-posting. Can someone please post on the other UC lists?
I'm only on this one these days....
txs
> Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2014 18:40:13 -0700
> From: [email protected]
> Subject: [TotLot] Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease Alert
> To: [email protected]
>
> I am writing you from quarantine to alert you to a particularly
horrible strain of hand, foot, and mouth disease that is going
around. Unlike the traditional cocksackie virus, the virus that we
have in our house is likely to be a much more virulent strain,
cocksackie A6, with a longer duration. The incubation period, or
time from exposure to symptoms is 3-7 days. It begins with sore
throat, muscle aches and progresses to fever with severe fatigue. As
the fever subsides, a blistering rash begins to appear. Initially, I
thought my 16 month old was teething and had a few bug bites. But,
he soon developed a painful blistering rash from head to toe.
Because it is a new version of the virus, childhood exposure to the
regular hand, foot, mouth disease offers no protection for adults. I
have a milder version which makes walking difficult and drinking a
dilute lemonade excruciating. The virus is contagious as long as the
vesicles are present, up to 2 weeks, and
> it is spread by droplets from sneezing, coughing, saliva or popped
blisters. The virus may persist for several weeks in the stool.
Women at the end of pregnancy should be especially cautious as the
virus is extremely serious in newborns.
