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Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak Suspected in Toddler Death
By Mat Probasco
March 11, 2025
A child under the age of two who died Monday may have been a victim of the hand, foot, and mouth disease outbreak plaguing the territory, health officials said Tuesday.
Doctors were still working to determine the cause of death, but the child had previously been diagnosed with hand, foot, and mouth disease, or HFMD, which can cause painful blisters in the mouth, rash on the hands and feet, fever, sore throat, coughing, headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Although HFMD usually clears up in a few days, in rare cases, it can lead to more serious, even life-threatening conditions like severe dehydration, extremely high fever, and swelling of the brain. It is most common in children but can infect adults as well, V.I. Health Department officials said.
Territorial Epidemiologist Dr. Esther Ellis said her office knows of 188 cases of HFMD on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix. Symptoms can take as many as six days to appear after initial infection, however. Feb. 21, two and half weeks ago, there were just 46 reported cases in the territory.
She asked school and day care officials to email epi@doh.vi.gov to report suspected cases...
Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Outbreak Suspected in Toddler Death
By Mat Probasco
March 11, 2025
A child under the age of two who died Monday may have been a victim of the hand, foot, and mouth disease outbreak plaguing the territory, health officials said Tuesday.
Doctors were still working to determine the cause of death, but the child had previously been diagnosed with hand, foot, and mouth disease, or HFMD, which can cause painful blisters in the mouth, rash on the hands and feet, fever, sore throat, coughing, headache, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
Although HFMD usually clears up in a few days, in rare cases, it can lead to more serious, even life-threatening conditions like severe dehydration, extremely high fever, and swelling of the brain. It is most common in children but can infect adults as well, V.I. Health Department officials said.
Territorial Epidemiologist Dr. Esther Ellis said her office knows of 188 cases of HFMD on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix. Symptoms can take as many as six days to appear after initial infection, however. Feb. 21, two and half weeks ago, there were just 46 reported cases in the territory.
She asked school and day care officials to email epi@doh.vi.gov to report suspected cases...