‘Hand, foot and mouth’ disease alert for children
throat and mouth. A couple of days later red spots appear on the tongue and inside of the mouth. These can quickly develop into painful ulcers which can make eating and drinking difficult.
Soon after, you may notice a rash on the skin – made up of small red raised spots and typically developing on the fingers and hands and the soles of the feet.
These may turn to blisters with a greyish centre and can become itchy and uncomfortable.
Health bosses are urging parents to look out for signs of the disease after a spate of recent cases in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale clinics.
And they’re reminding families how to prevent it from spreading.
Janine Parry, a paediatric nurse practitioner based in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, part of Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We’ve noticed an increase in the number of children coming to our clinics with cases of hand, foot and mouth over the past couple of weeks.
“The best advice is to keep your child at home and hydrated until they’re feeling better. Soft foods and paracetamol can also help if your child has a sore mouth and throat.
“If the symptoms don’t improve after a week to 10 days you should seek appropriate medical advice.
“You should also seek advice if your child shows signs of dehydration, has fits, a very high temperature, is unusually tired or unrousable, or if their skin becomes painful, red, swollen or hot to touch.”
Further information can be found at www. nhs.uk