An outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign continues to grow with more than 70 documented cases as of Oct. 21, up from 60-plus cases tallied the week prior, according to The News-Gazette.
The university's McKinley Health Center is isolating infected students as needed and working with campus housing to strengthen sanitation measures.
According to the CDC, hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness typically affecting children under the age of five. The viral infection is characterized by fever, loss of appetite and sore throat. One or two days after the fever begins, sores can appear in the mouth and can turn into ulcers. Blisters may form on the hands and soles of feet one or two days after the first signs of fever. The virus is spread via person-to-person contact or contact with objects contaminated by the mucus secretions, blister fluid or feces of an infected person.
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