Written by Seth Gordon, Newberg Graphic

The Newberg School District released a health alert last month after six cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth (HFMD) disease were reported.

HFMD is a common viral illness that usually affects infants and young children. Four of the cases reported were of elementary school students and two of middle school students.

The first symptoms of HFMD are usually fever, sore throat, loss of appetite and feeling sick. Several days after fever begins, small red spots develop in the mouth that may turn into blisters or ulcers. A skin rash can also develop on the hands, feet and buttocks, and sometimes on the arms and legs. Not everyone with HFMD will demonstrate all of these symptoms.

Symptoms of HFMD usually appear three to seven days after initial exposure and infection.

HFMD is a communicable disease spread by contact with an infected person’s stool, nasal discharge, saliva or blister fluid. A person is most contagious during the first week of the illness but the disease may remain contagious for several weeks in the infected person’s stool.

Those parents who suspect their child may have HFMD should contact the child’s health provider for diagnosis and other suggestion on how to treat the disease. If diagnosed with HFMD the child will be allowed to return to school only with licensed health care provider permission or when the blisters are gone.

The school district encourages students to cover their coughs and sneezes and to wash hands after using the toilet to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.

Yamhill County Public Health official Lindsey Manfren said HFMD is not a reportable disease, so the county does not track cases or get involved unless something extremely usual is noted.

“This is a typical thing that schools do when they have any sort of illness, reportable or not, just so that folks — parents and guardians — are a little heightened (and on) alert to be watching for symptoms and things like that,” Manfren said.

For more information on HFMD, visit www.cdc.gov/hand-foot-mouth.