question about hand mouth and foot disease

Re: question about hand mouth and foot disease

• groovygrl member

  May 2011

  Hmmm. well my family had it last year (including me so I'm well acquainted with it) and while I wouldn't expose your LO to the cousin's immediate family, & I don't know enough about the communicability from someone not actually infected with it, I don't know that I'd stay home in this case. I think that people who have immunity to it (most adults are, I was one of those weird oddities) do not in turn pass on active infection to others, they would have to be actively infected. For example, kids at daycare get HFM all the time and are infected before being diagnosed- therefore the daycare teachers/caretakers are always being exposed to it but that doesn't mean they shouldn't take care of other kids or the other kids should be kept home, unless the teachers were actually not immune & got sick from it.  

  Maybe someone on here has more info though... 

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• snicksnack member

  May 2011

  groovygrl:

  Hmmm. well my family had it last year (including me so I'm well acquainted with it) and while I wouldn't expose your LO to the cousin's immediate family, & I don't know enough about the communicability from someone not actually infected with it, I don't know that I'd stay home in this case. I think that people who have immunity to it (most adults are, I was one of those weird oddities) do not in turn pass on active infection to others, they would have to be actively infected. For example, kids at daycare get HFM all the time and are infected before being diagnosed- therefore the daycare teachers/caretakers are always being exposed to it but that doesn't mean they shouldn't take care of other kids or the other kids should be kept home, unless the teachers were actually not immune & got sick from it.  

  Maybe someone on here has more info though... 

  Thanks for the info.  From reading the CDC web site I was under the impression that an adult could have it and not know they had it I did not realize most adults were immune.  I feel better after reading your post.  I am assuming you had symptoms when you had the disease.  I was concerned because her parents, who have been caring for him since he can't go to daycare, will be there helping with food and I thought they could have it without having symptoms and therefor past it on.  Thanks again   

  

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• groovygrl member

  May 2011

  snicksnack:

  groovygrl:

  Hmmm. well my family had it last year (including me so I'm well acquainted with it) and while I wouldn't expose your LO to the cousin's immediate family, & I don't know enough about the communicability from someone not actually infected with it, I don't know that I'd stay home in this case. I think that people who have immunity to it (most adults are, I was one of those weird oddities) do not in turn pass on active infection to others, they would have to be actively infected. For example, kids at daycare get HFM all the time and are infected before being diagnosed- therefore the daycare teachers/caretakers are always being exposed to it but that doesn't mean they shouldn't take care of other kids or the other kids should be kept home, unless the teachers were actually not immune & got sick from it.  

  Maybe someone on here has more info though... 

  Thanks for the info.  From reading the CDC web site I was under the impression that an adult could have it and not know they had it I did not realize most adults were immune.  I feel better after reading your post.  I am assuming you had symptoms when you had the disease.  I was concerned because her parents, who have been caring for him since he can't go to daycare, will be there helping with food and I thought they could have it without having symptoms and therefor past it on.  Thanks again   

  Well it is true that adults can have it & not know it (just like most kids are exposed to it during the first several years of life & often the parents had no idea b/c it just manifested as a fever or minor illness) so I wouldn't say you're 100% in the clear. I had worse symptoms than both kids- one ofthem had a teeny little sore on her lip & the other had 2 on his thumb. I, on the other hand, had the little blisters on the palms of both hands & soles of both feet and they burned for like 2 days and then peeled like 2 weeks later. Plus the sore throat & malaise that the kids likely had too . Fun stuff! 

  My point was more that if they're already immune, I don't think they could transmit it. But you'll never really know if someone is carrying around any type of infection that they're not symptomatic for, kwim?  I'm pretty lax about some of this stuff though, when you have kids in daycare, you just take sickness as par for the course...

  GL! Maybe avoid the food they help prepare? If htey helped prepare it & it was fully cooked after it was handled, I wouldn't really worry too much about that, personally. If it is all really going to stress you out, then you prob shouldn't go. 

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• snicksnack member

  May 2011

  Thanks I am just going to go with the flow.  Normally I am pretty lax because as you said you just never know but if something is known then I avoid.  But in this case there is not much I can do so to speak and I don't want to really upset my MIL if I can avoid it.  I also did not want my daughter having to go through what you went through so that is why I was asking.  Happy mother's day to you

  

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