Hand, foot and mouth disease as an emerging public health problem: Case report of familial child-to-adult transmission.

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious viral infectious disease that commonly affects small children. Typical clinical symptoms include low-grade fever, malaise and myalgia followed by a characteristic maculovesicular eruption on hands, feet and the oral cavity. In most cases, the disease is self-limiting, but some severe complications, including pneumonia, meningitis and encephalitis, may occasionally occur. The most severe outbreaks of HFMD have been observed in Asia-Pacific region; however, epidemics in Europe and America have also occurred in the past. The disease is caused by an infection with various members of Picornaviridae family in the genus enterovirus, most commonly by Coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6), Coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16), and Enterovirus 71 (EV71). This report describes the intra-familial transmission of hand, foot and mouth disease between 2 sibling children (a 3-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy) and their immunocompetent mother in Poland. Clinical presentation with signs, symptoms and a suggested treatment regime are discussed and illustrated.