An outbreak of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD has alerted parents and workers in childcare centers these days, a condition that health authorities warn about because of its high rate of contagion.

Las Tunas, Cuba.- “We are facing a common infectious disease that affects, above all, infants and children under 11 years of age. It is a virus (coxsackievirus A16, a member of the enterovirus family) transmitted by contact, and the symptoms it produces are mostly painful red blisters around the mouth, the feet, the intergluteal region; fever; and can even cause nail detachment after the acute phase is over, ”Aldo Cortés González, deputy director of the Provincial Center for Hygiene, Epidemiology, and Microbiology, explained to the press.

"We ask Mom and Dad that, if their children present these symptoms, take them to hospitals, that will allow them to act in time, prevent the spread of the virus, and prevent a larger outbreak from occurring."

It is a malaise that can have complications, but the degree of complexity depends on how quickly children receive medical care because it must be dealt with promptly.

The epidemiologist explained that we are in a stage of viral infections, after the end of the summer; for which he called for intensifying disinfection measures, hand washing, and isolating sick infants.