More Incidents of Highly Contagious Virus Reported in Waukee

It starts off as a small blister in the mouth, on the inside of a cheek, the palm of a hand or even the bottom of the foot. Add to that "highly contagious" and you have hand, foot and mouth disease.

Hand, foot and mouth disease, according to physician Brianne Day, is a fairly common virus among those under age 5 and it has recently taken hold among several children in Waukee.

"We have seen a lot more cases lately, "Day said. "In fact, we just had another one yesterday. It's a virus, like the common cold and it's very easy to catch."

Day said hand, foot and mouth disease is easily spread in environments where children are in close quarters, like a school or child-care center. Symptoms include a fever, loss of appetite, sore throat and telltale sores that first appear inside the mouth. A skin rash appears later on the palms of hands, soles of feet and even on knees, elbows, buttocks and genitals. 

Day said, like any other virus, there's no magic drug that will cure it. She emphasized keeping the infected well-hydrated when sores in the mouth can make eating or drinking more painful.

"There's no real treatment except time," she said. "You just treat the pain and keep drinking so you don’t get dehydrated."

Emily Steele, owner and director of in Waukee, said while there have been no reported cases of hand, foot and mouth at the center, she said students and staff are still taking precautions to prevent it.

"We have not seen it yet but we have heard about it," Steele said. "We have just been taking extra precautions and cleaning toys more often and really making sure kids wash their hands."

Steele said should a case of hand, foot and mouth occur at Little Wonders, parents are advised through center communications and the infected child is sent home.