Hand-foot-mouth disease: 250 cases recorded so far; total tally could be higher

But amid the ongoing spike in cases for the last two weeks, the cumulative figure from the private hospitals would be much higher. Meanwhile, doctors have said it is a self-limiting disease and most of the patients recover within a week.

Out of the total cases reported in the state, 249 have been reported from Mumbai circle. The areas under Vasai-Virar municipal Corporation reported 97 cases – the highest in the state – followed by KDMC with 84 cases. The Mira-Bhayandar municipal Corporation has witnessed 33 cases. The Thane Municipal Corporation stood at the fourth position with 24 cases. Surprisingly, as per the state’s report, not a single case has been reported in Mumbai city despite its private hospitals witnessing over 20 cases of HFMD daily.

Additional chief secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas said that the state lacks accumulative data as HFMD is not a notifiable disease. “This is a mild disease which happens mostly among children. It is a self-limiting disease with no significant adverse effects or prolonged symptoms so, people shouldn’t worry about it,” he said.

Meanwhile, compared to the previous year, private hospitals are witnessing a two-fold rise in cases. Tushar Maniar, head of child health unit, Nanavati Hospital, said he gets 8-10 patients daily but most don’t need to visit the hospital and can be treated effectively by medication. “During the past two years, the schools were shut and HFMD being a highly infectious disease, has less scope to spread among the larger paediatric population. The rise in cases this year can be attributed to re-opening of the schools and possibly a different, more infectious strain,” he said.

HMFD is a self-limiting but contagious viral disease. It is caused due to viruses from the Enterovirus genus, most commonly the coxsackievirus. It spreads because of the nose and throat discharges, and even the saliva of an infected child or after touching contaminated surfaces.

Dr Mukesh Agrawal, the former head of the paediatric department at King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, Parel said, “It spreads through person-to-person contact with an infected person’s nose secretions or throat discharge, saliva, fluid from blisters, stool and respiratory droplets sprayed into the air after a cough or sneeze.” “But in most cases, it doesn’t require hospitalisation,” he added.

Mumbai doctors claimed that a large number of children below 5 years of age are also contracting the infection. Dr Asmita Mahajan, consultant neonatologist and pediatrician, S L Raheja Hospital, Mahim, said she has treated 10-15 such children. “Since HFMD is contagious, siblings also tend to get the disease as they live in close contact with each other.” The usual period from initial infection to the time symptoms appear among patients which is also called incubation period is around 3–6 days.

One significant feature of the illness this time is a recurrence of the disease in the same child . “Some kids have also developed rashes 2-3 times after a month or two,” said Dr Mahajan. The patients develop fever, sore throat, painful blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums and inside of the cheeks. “Also, rashes are noticed on the palms, soles and sometimes the buttocks,” said Dr Bela Verma, head of the paediatric department at J J hospital.