(Radio Iowa) – Experts say they’re seeing higher than usual cases of hand, foot and mouth disease that mostly affects kids under the age of five, but it can hit everyone. Doctor Christine Davis at UnityPoint says parents should look out for low grade fevers, low energy and rashes that commonly start on the buttocks. “When kids are around each other, it’s typically spread, you know, either fecal, oral or oral, oral or respiratory contact,” she says. And so good hand washing, you know, making sure that you know if someone is sick, that you’re not sharing food and drinks and other things like that.”

Davis says the infection can be treated at home with over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and Tylenol.  “So a lot of times, because they do have these sores in the back of their throats, they’re not wanting to eat or drink very well,” Davis says. “And so signs of dehydration, especially in really young kiddos, would be, you know, less frequent wet diapers, you know, and just refusal to take any oral intake in.”

Figure, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Virus, Lesions. MidgleyDJ, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons ] – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf

Davis says symptoms include a low-grade fever and low energy. She says the rash for children commonly starts on the buttocks. It’s believed the increase in cases is due to the warmer temperatures this summer and fall.