Naugatuck school officials are warning parents about an increase in cases of the coxsackie virus, also known as hand, foot and mouth disease.
On Wednesday, Naugatuck school nurses sent a letter to parents warning them to keep children home if they show signs of the disease. Hand, foot and mouth disease usually occurs in children under 5, but can affect older children. Symptoms include a fever, sore throat and a rash that can develop inside the mouth, on hands, on feet and in the diaper area.
The disease is not generally serious, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and most people recover in seven to 10 days without treatment. However, the disease is easily spread through close personal contact, through the air, through contact with feces, or through contact with contaminated objects. Most people are contagious during the first week of their illness.
A student should not return to school until they have been fever free for 24 hours without medication and have no open sores, the nurses' letter said. Any students sent home with an undiagnosed rash must provide a note from a medical provider saying their rash is not contagious before returning to school.
For more information about hand, foot and mouth disease from the CDC, click here.
