Sick children are never any fun, and right now Pink and her husband Carey Hart are dealing with two of them.
It was revealed this week that their 20-month-old son Jameson contracted hand-foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious virus that has the poor kid covered in a rash.
Pink’s daughter is also ill. Carey revealed in an Instagram post that in addition to Jameson, Sage, who is just seven years old, is suffering from a 102-degree fever.
With news that Pink’s family is dealing with the horrors of HFM disease, many have been curious about the symptoms, who is at risk of catching it and other details about the highly contagious affliction.
As seen in the picture of Jameson that was shared by Carey Hart, the toddler is covered in a rash. Typically, the HFMD rash spreads on the hands and feet of the person affected but they can get the rash all over their body.
In addition to the telltale HFMD rash, other symptoms include a high fever and sores inside the mouth. A sore throat, lethargy, irritability, and loss of appetite are also symptoms of HFMD.
Children under age five are at the highest risk of contracting HFMD, however, anyone at any age can get it. Young children are said to be at a higher risk for a few reasons.
One of them being that young children often touch everything and put things in their mouth, putting them in contact with the virus more readily, coupled with the weaker immune system of a child that hasn’t built up immunities to viruses such as this one yet.
It’s not known how Jameson contracted HFMD but it’s very common in daycares and elementary schools where children are in close contact with each other. According to the Mayo Clinic, HFMD is especially scary because those who have it can spread it before symptoms even appear!
There’s no official treatment for the virus aside from keeping hands clean and staying away from others in order to not spread it. Usually, it takes roughly a week to recover from the symptoms and while HFMD itself isn’t as serious as it is miserable, it can sometimes lead to more serious complications like viral meningitis and encephalitis.