Hand, foot, mouth disease spreading tentacles among children in Bathinda

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 20

Bathinda is witnessing an alarming rise in the cases of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) among children. The viral infection, common among children, is spreading rapidly in several parts of the district, causing concern among parents and medical professionals.

Over the past two weeks, local hospitals and clinics have reported a significant increase in the number of children showing symptoms of HFMD.

The disease, characterised by fever, sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet, is highly contagious but typically mild. However, the sudden surge in cases has raised public health concerns.

Dr Jagjit Singh, a Bathinda-based pediatrician said, “We have seen a noticeable increase in the HFMD cases as I get around 12-15 such cases in my clinic on a daily basis. While the disease usually resolves on its own within a week, it can cause discomfort and anxiety for both children and parents. In some cases, the sores can be painful and the child may refuse to eat or drink, leading to

dehydration.”

Dr Jagjit said, “We urge parents to be vigilant about hygiene and keep affected children at home to prevent further transmission.”

Parents are understandably worried. Kanishka Goyal, whose five-year-old son is currently suffering from HFMD, shared her concerns. “It’s frightening to see your child in pain, with rashes and sores. We’ve been careful, but it’s hard to prevent it entirely when they’re playing with other kids.”

Another child specialist, Dr Satish Jindal, said on a daily basis, he was treating around 14-15 such cases. The spike was likely due to virus becoming more active during the monsoon season, he added. If parents found symptoms of infection, they should not send their kid to school for a week so that infection was not transferred to other kids, he added.

Another concern was that the symptoms of the infection could take a day or two to appear and, during this time, the affected child can pass it to others. While HFMD usually resolves without complications, the rise in cases has put the parents on alert. Bathinda Civil Surgeon Dr Tejwant Singh Dhillon said HFMD cases were being reported due to the monsoon season.

‘Sores could be painful in some cases’

• The disease, characterised by fever, sores in mouth and rashes on hands and feet, is highly contagious but typically mild.
• Dr Jagjit Singh, a Bathinda-based pediatrician said he had seen a noticeable increase in the cases of the hand, foot and mouth disease as he got around 12-15 such cases in his clinic on a daily basis.
• While the disease usually resolved on its own within a week, it could cause discomfort and anxiety for both children and parents. In some cases, the sores could be painful and the child might refuse to eat or drink, leading to dehydration, he added.
• He urged parents to be vigilant about hygiene and keep affected children at home to prevent further transmission.