What is the medical name for hand foot and mouth?
Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is most commonly caused by a virus called coxsackievirus A16. Children under age 10 are most often affected. Teens and adults can sometimes get the infection. HFMD usually occurs in the summer and early fall.
How do you get coxsackievirus?
Coxsackieviruses are very contagious. They can be passed from person to person on unwashed hands and surfaces contaminated by feces. They also can be spread through droplets of fluid sprayed into the air when someone sneezes or coughs.
What is another name for coxsackievirus?
Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is the common name of this viral infection. Coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) causes the majority of HFMD infections in the U.S. It usually occurs in children (age 10 and under), but adults can also develop the condition.
What is Coxsackie named after?
Named for Coxsackie, the small town on the Hudson River where they were first isolated, human coxsackieviruses are nonenveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses in the family Picornaviridae, genus Enterovirus.
Do you need antibiotics for hand, foot, and mouth disease?
Since HFMD is a virus, antibiotics will not help. The following may help your child feel better: For children older than 6 months, give acetaminophen (Tylenol®) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®) to help with the headache, fever, and sore throat.
Can you get Coxsackie from a pool?
It is possible to get infected with the viruses that cause HFMD if you swallow recreational water, such as water in swimming pools. However, this is not very common. This is more likely to happen if the water becomes contaminated with feces from a person who has HFMD and is not properly treated with chlorine.
Where does Coxsackie virus come from?
Oral ingestion is the main source of coxsackievirus infection and hand-foot-and-mouth disease. The illness spreads by person-to-person contact with an infected person’s: Nasal secretions or throat discharge. Saliva.