By Kelly Youngblood
A rare outbreak of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease on the University of Illinois campus appears to be slowing down and there is no evidence of any new “clusters” in the Champaign-Urbana community.
The Champaign Urbana Public Health District said last week it wasn’t aware of any other local schools in the area with confirmed cases of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease.
“We have not had any reported, but this is not a reportable disease,” said CUPHD public health administrator Julie Pryde. “We would expect to hear if there was a cluster.”
Dr. Robert Palinkas of the McKinley Health Center said they have seen more than 95 cases of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease on campus since the start of the semester but the numbers are slowly declining.
“The rate appears to be slowing gradually, and we are hopeful that the upcoming Thanksgiving break may reduce the rate even further,” Palinkas said.
Palinkas said he had no knowledge of other cases throughout the community but “would be surprised” if local health providers were not seeing the version normally seen as a common illness in infants and young children.
At least one Champaign school has had a confirmed case. Judah Christian School notified parents on Oct. 24 a student in a lower elementary class had the illness.
While the disease is rarely seen in college student populations, Palinkas said various colleges and high schools in different states have had clusters of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease this year.
He said the cases seen in college students across the country appear to be a slightly different strain than the common one among infants and young children.
“The spread, though a new phenomenon for college age individuals, appears to be accomplished in college students because of the active social matrix of students, high density, and probably poor herd immunity,” Palinkas said.
Hand, Foot and Mouth disease is a viral illness with symptoms that include fever, rash on hands and feet, and sores or blisters in or around the mouth. It is a common illness in young children and is spread from person to person contact, contact with feces or contact with contaminated objects.
Palinkas said his patients have been given instructions about prevention techniques that include frequent hand washing, avoidance of physical contact, intensified bathroom hygiene measures, environmental cleaning, and sometimes actual isolation for a period of time.
While the spread of any contagious disease is a concern, Palinkas said so far the illness has proven to be uncomfortable but not causing any serious complications in patients.
For more information about Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease click here.