Rare strain of hand, foot, mouth disease in Reno
Friday March 30, 2012 4:15 PM
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Health officials say they've identified a rare, more severe strain of hand, foot and mouth disease in Washoe County that's appeared in only three other places in the country, but they say the outbreak has now been contained.
Thirty cases of Coxsackievirus were identified in the Truckee Meadows. Since November, 38 cases turned up in Alabama, seven appeared in California and Connecticut reported one.
"It may confuse both the doctors doing the diagnosing, and the health departments," said Dr. Joe Iser, district health officers for the Washoe County Health District. His team's findings on the outbreak have been published in a national journal produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This brings it to their attention," he said.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is common, especially in children under the age of five. The illness typically brings a low fever, rash, and sores on the hands, feet and mouth.
The new strain, which showed up in January, causes heavier rashes in those areas, plus sores on the knees, elbows, arms, legs, buttocks and genital areas. Health officials gathered samples and had them analyzed by a laboratory, which confirmed the rare strain.
It's previously been identified in European and Asian countries and has only recently made its way to the U.S.
There's no known cure for the virus, but it's mild and usually goes away within a few days or a week. The biggest problems arise when children scratch their sores, opening themselves up to a secondary infection.
Iser said epidemiologists had been trying to identify how the virus made its way to Reno — perhaps from someone who visited family in another part of the country that's experienced an outbreak. But they've hit a dead end on the trail.
The virus can be prevented by washing hands often, especially after changing diapers or using the restroom, and by disinfecting toys. http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/apexchange/2012/03/30/nv--hand-foot-mouth-strain.html
Thirty cases of Coxsackievirus were identified in the Truckee Meadows. Since November, 38 cases turned up in Alabama, seven appeared in California and Connecticut reported one.
"It may confuse both the doctors doing the diagnosing, and the health departments," said Dr. Joe Iser, district health officers for the Washoe County Health District. His team's findings on the outbreak have been published in a national journal produced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This brings it to their attention," he said.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is common, especially in children under the age of five. The illness typically brings a low fever, rash, and sores on the hands, feet and mouth.
The new strain, which showed up in January, causes heavier rashes in those areas, plus sores on the knees, elbows, arms, legs, buttocks and genital areas. Health officials gathered samples and had them analyzed by a laboratory, which confirmed the rare strain.
It's previously been identified in European and Asian countries and has only recently made its way to the U.S.
There's no known cure for the virus, but it's mild and usually goes away within a few days or a week. The biggest problems arise when children scratch their sores, opening themselves up to a secondary infection.
Iser said epidemiologists had been trying to identify how the virus made its way to Reno — perhaps from someone who visited family in another part of the country that's experienced an outbreak. But they've hit a dead end on the trail.
The virus can be prevented by washing hands often, especially after changing diapers or using the restroom, and by disinfecting toys. http://www.10tv.com/content/stories/apexchange/2012/03/30/nv--hand-foot-mouth-strain.html
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