Herpes vs. Hand Foot and Mouth?

[ShaeShae]

Just a healthy curiosity cropping up today. My two youngest nieces have HSV1. Quite sevetely, I might add. Especially the 5 year old. She's a high-strung little thing just like her poor mother (my sister) who gets unspeakably horrible cold sores due to her seeming inability to not be a bundle of nerves! The youngest frequently develops sores on her fingers. I saw the girls 4 days ago, at which point they were both in the process of brewing up some cold sores. They have now come down with Hand Foot and Mouth for the second time in two years. Is there a correlation between the HSV virus and whatever causes HFandM?

[WCSDancer2010]

I used to get HORRID Ob's on my mouth about 2x/yr as a kid, and I wasn't high strung ... just the stress of growing and being a kid I guess ;)

 

Just looked up HFM ... not at all related -

 

It's an Enteroviruse, which lives in the intestines of humans and other animals. It spreads by coughing and sneezing and touching the fecal matter ... infectious for the first week or so, though the virus can be found in the stools for several months after.

 

So it's more like colds/flu ...

 

I don't think there's any connection except that it may be difficult to know if they have HFB or HSV1 unless they get the sores on the hands and feet and the full on cold symptoms (as opposed to just flu symptoms of fever and aches) ....

[ShaeShae]

Hmmmmm. . . . Interesting :)

 

The 5 year old has since developed the classic HFM rash and a low grade fever. The 4 year old is bound to not be far behind her. They will unfortunately be quarantined in their house for another Christmas, just like they were 2 years ago.