J. S. Bist1, Bindu Aggarwal2, Shruthi3, Mritunjay Kumar4, Anil Mehtha5, Neethi Kumari6
ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral infection of children caused by Coxsackie virus- A16, a type of enterovirus seen worldwide, but uncommon in India. It is sporadically reported from India as a mild illness. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of cases in an outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Dehradun, the capital city of state Uttaranchal. RESULTS: A total of thirty eight cases of HFMD occurred in the city over a period of six weeks between September 14 and October 19, 2013. Fever and rash were the most common presenting symptoms, with the rash distributed mostly over oral mucosa (94.7%) and distal extremities involving hands and feet (76.3%) followed by the buttocks (63%) and knees (39.4%). All the cases were diagnosed clinically without laboratory confirmation. Lesions healed in about 7 days in majority of the patients. All cases resolved without complications. CONCLUSION: The characteristic clinical features described will be useful for early clinical diagnosis where laboratory confirmation is not feasible.
