Coxsackie Virus In Kids: Everything You Should Be Aware Of

The name “Coxsackie virus” itself may give goosebumps to parents and the people around you when the doctor tells you that “your child is suffering from Coxsackie virus infection”. Coxsackie virus infection is also known to be the cause of hand foot mouth disease, which is very common in children. As the name suggests this infection affects the hand, foot, and mouth predominantly with symptoms, such as skin rash, blisters, fever, and generalized weakness.

This is a contagious disease which is caused by a virus and was first discovered in a small town known as Coxsackie in New York. There are two variants of the virus, virus A and virus B. The first virus causes muscular pains, paralysis, and most commonly pus-filled eruptions on the hands, feet, and in and around the mouth. The second variety is known to cause damage to the internal organs, such as lungs, abdomen, and other organs, and the infection usually lasts for ten to twelve days.

The common symptoms, which usually kids suffer, are fever, sore throat, cough, weakness, loss of appetite, blisters, and pus-filled eruptions on the hands, foot, and mouth. It spreads via fecal contamination through the infected toys or while changing the diaper, and it can also spread through droplets of saliva that are expelled by the infected children. Hence, it becomes important to maintain personal cleanliness in and around your place as children are more prone to catch the infection easily.

How One Can Treat And Prevent Coxsackie Virus In Kids?

It is rightly said “prevention is better than cure”, and when it comes to the contagious diseases in children prevention comes first. There is no particular treatment for the viral infection, but symptomatic relief can always be given in regards to pain, fever, rash, itching, and another discomfort. Generally, antiviral medicines are prescribed for managing the symptoms. Other medications that are commonly prescribed are antipyretics for fever control and antiallergics and antibiotics to take care of the rashes and blisters.

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Medications are one part of the treatment, but the most important are home therapy. Parents, especially mothers, should be quite alert and watchful when it comes to their child’s habits and environment where they move around. Being a contagious disease, isolation of the affected kid is important to avoid the spread of the ailment. The child should not be sent to the school till the infection is completely subsided.

Children from the day care centers are more prone to catch this infection due to lenient staff and poor hygiene. So, taking care about your child’s immunity is also crucial. Lower the immunity, the more prone your child is to catch the infection readily. A good immunity will help slow down the virus activity, thereby shortening the span of illness. A good diet with adequate hydration is the key for a good immunity.

Children should be instructed to maintain cleanliness, and they should follow a habit of washing their hands before eating and after using the toilet.

Sharing the belongings of the infected child can result in the spread of the virus. So, the infected child should not share his/ her belongings with other children. The clothes should be washed separately, preferentially in warm water especially when the child has pus-filled eruptions.

A good bath taken twice a day with warm water helps in minimizing the duration of illness and accelerating the recovery. When talking about the home therapy, neem bath can be a great and effective solution for purifying the skin and keeping other infections at bay.

A clean child with good habits enjoys a good immunity and is less prone to get an infection from other children. Hence, more than the treatment, following a hygiene regimen is important. A severe outbreak may also lead to hospital admissions and many other children may also get infected.

If you think about opting for alternative methods of treatment, homeopathy stands against all the odds. Homeopathic medicines are known to boost your child’s immunity that helps the kid in combating the infections effectively. Children, being sensitive, they respond to homeopathy really well.

If you have liked this blog, do let us know your feedback in the section below. If you have any queries related to coxsackie virus infection or any other diseases, do feel free to get in touch with Dr. Rajesh Shah’s associate doctors at Life Force Homeopathy. You may write into us at info@lifeforce.in or give us a call at +91-22-66888888.

– Written by Dr. Kanchan, Associate doctor to Dr. Rajesh Shah

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