Hand, foot, and mouth disease

Last week, Zoe was diagnosed with early stage of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Some people may have heard of this as the disease transmitted by pigs but there is another form of HFMD which is rampant among babies and kids. So, no, my daughter didn't contract the pork disease as what some people have said.


Symptoms: A few days after Zoe's birthday party, I noticed that she started to have rashes all over her legs. They weren't red and itchy since Zoe wasn't really bothered by it and she wasn't even scratching it. However, it bothered me since I'm very particular about taking care of her skin. I also knew there was something else behind it so I scheduled an appointment to the pedia even though I was told by a nosy neighbor that it might have been just 'tigdas hangin'.


Diagnosis: Dra. Chanyungco, Zoe's pedia, diagnosed my baby girl with HFMD in its early stage. I panicked since I have seen a severe form of this disease months back from another patient. I was really worried that Zoe might suffer the same but I was assured my doc that it may not progress anyway since Zoe's immune system is pretty strong. She prescribed anti-histamine medicines and skin treatment which consist of wiping Listerine on the affected areas three times a day and applying a mixture of Elica cream and Calmoseptine to the rashes right after the listerine. We started the treatment Saturday night and come Friday, the rashes have dried.


How the disease is transmitted: While HFMD is still a disease, it isn't nearly as scary as how it sounds. It's still considered as a minor illness which is very common among babies and kids. It is transmitted by people who are affected through hand contact. It is also airborne that's why people who are affected are advised to stay at home so that the disease is not passed to others. It really doesnt have a medicinal cure since it usually goes away on its own after 5-7 days, however, more severe symptoms such as mouth sores and blisters on skin can cause misery to babies and kids who are affected. I was just really thankful that Zoe didn't have to go through such.