DENVER — You may have seen the stories about a Colorado mother who shared photos of her 2-year-old who she said was infected with hand-foot-and-mouth disease.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms include rash, sores, and blisters that will heal in time. Over the counter medication is recommended for pain.
The mother said she believes the illness came from a splash park in Briargate, north of Colorado Springs.
Her story is receiving a lot of attention in the news and on social media.
But 9NEWS Medical Expert Dr. Comilla Sasson said its highly unlikely a child will contract the illness in a pool or at a splash park.
"It's most often going to be transmitted by touching something or somebody who is infected," Sasson said.
She also said parents shouldn't be freighted. She said it's not fatal and it's a very common infection.
"I really think hand-foot-and-mouth disease is quite honestly something that most children will get at some point in their lifetime," she said. "It's just that common."
Dr. Sasson said in most cases the symptoms don't require an ER visit.
"Usually they get blisters on the hand, the feet, the mouth. Usually not a big issue unless they get it around the mouth, and they get really dehydrated so they don't want to eat. That's usually the reason they will come into the emergency department."
Dr. Sasson said the best protection is prevention.
"All you can do, especially as a parent, is make sure your kids are not swallowing the water, because there is a lot of bacteria in that water, even if it's fully chlorinated," Sasson said. "Make sure they are washing their hands right away, that they are not touching their hands or face, or other people's things as well. A lot of it is, unfortunately, bad luck."
The 2-year-old in Colorado Springs was at a splash pad in El Paso County, where the health department said it inspects pools regularly - but not splash pads.
In Denver, Public Health follows a similar process. Tri-County Health said it monitors water quality twice a year at both public pools and splash pads.
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