Facts about hand, foot and mouth disease

New York residents and others may have heard of something called hand, foot and mouth disease. It is an ailment that causes symptoms such as a rash, fever and blisters. It can also cause a person to feel tired for several days. While the symptoms generally go away after a few days, children can remain contagious for several weeks after this happens. Generally, the condition afflicts young children, but is possible for adults to get it too.

As it primarily impacts children, it can spread quickly in day care centers, schools or anywhere else kids tend to get together. Adults can catch it by coming into contact with a child's bodily fluids or feces. Hugging or kissing someone who has this illness can result in an individual contracting it him or herself. To reduce the risk of becoming sick, children and adults should wash their hands and generally adhere to other hygiene best practices.

Adults who come into contact with the coxsackievirus may develop hand, foot and mouth disease without exhibiting any symptoms. Therefore, they need to be careful that they aren't spreading it to other children or adults. It is important to note that there is no cure for this condition, so treatment consists of nothing more than trying to stay comfortable until it passes.

A failure to diagnose a person's medical condition could be an example of malpractice. This may be true if a medical professional failed to prescribe medication or run a test after learning of a patient's symptoms. If a test was conducted, misinterpreting the results could also constitute malpractice on a medical professional's behalf. An attorney may be able to help a patient obtain compensation for lost wages, medical bills or other damages related to a doctor's error in treating that individual.