Foot and mouth disease at a popular Dubai nursery has been reported to parents. The parents were handed a note this morning informing the case in one of the classes of the playschool, with detailed description of the disease and the symptoms to watch out for.
Some worried parents were undecided whether to send their little ones to school or not. “I’m concerned. The teacher has assured me that the class had been disinfected and they will deep clean during the weekend but it’s an outbreak,” a parent spoke to this website on the condition of anonymity.
“The kids were exposed yesterday. They may already be infected. Nobody knows but I’m hoping all goes well,” added another parent.
However, doctors suggest that in such a case kids should stay away from the class. “The children should be exempt from the class,” advises Dr. Ahmed Mahmoud Hady, Specialist Pediatrician at Medcare Clinic.
“Children should be encouraged to wash their hands frequently. It’s a viral disease and it’s best to prevent it. There have been isolated cases and we’ve not seen such patients in big numbers,” he told Emirates 24|7.
Foot-and-mouth disease is an illness that causes sores in or on the mouth and on the hands, feet, and sometimes the buttocks and legs. The sores may be painful. The illness usually doesn't last more than a week or so.
The virus can easily spread through coughing and sneezing. It usually takes 3 to 6 days for a person to get the symptoms. At first the child may feel tired, get a sore throat, or have a fever. Then in a day or two, sores or blisters may appear in or on the mouth and on the hands, feet, and sometimes the buttocks. In some cases a skin rash may appear before the blisters do. The blisters may break open and crust over.
The infected kids with similar symptoms should be immediately taken to a doctor.
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