School district officials issue alert to parents on ‘contagious disease’
The Nye County School District is alerting parents about a very contagious disease that was recently contracted by several students at Hafen Elementary School.
Public Information Officer Robert Williams said Nye County School District Nurse Angi Nasso authored a letter to inform parents about the effects of the disease known as “Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease”, which is common in children under 5-years-old, however anyone can contract it.
“The illness is usually not serious, but it is very contagious,” Nasso’s letter stated. “It spreads quickly at schools and day care centers. Symptoms of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease include fever, skin rash, and blister-like sores, typically on the hands, feet, and in or around the mouth. Most children have mild symptoms and get better on their own in seven to 10 days.”
“When a case is identified at one of our schools, we sanitize classrooms, restrooms, health offices and eating areas to minimize the spread of the virus. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to your child’s school health office,” Nasso said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control website, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease spreads when the virus leaves the body through the stool of an infected person and enters another person when hands, food, or objects (such as toys) contaminated with stool are placed in the mouth.
“It is also spread through droplets that are expelled from the nose and mouth of an infected person during sneezing and coughing and by direct contact with respiratory secretions,” the agency stated. “It can also be spread through close contact with infected blister fluid. The incubation period, from the time the child is exposed to Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, takes three to six days for the first symptoms to show up.”
Officials also advised that parents should make sure their infected children wash their hands thoroughly with soap and warm running water after using the bathroom.
Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com.
