BERKELEY (KRON) — It is a painful disease that normally affects children, but in recent months, it has popped up at U.S. universities outside of the Bay Area.
It is called hand, foot, and mouth disease, and two Florida universities and the University of Illinois have reported up to three dozen cases in the last couple of months.
KRON4 spoke with an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley who says he is not surprised.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease looks like this–blisters so painful you can’t walk or pick up anything. It also can come with a fever.
According to the National Institutes of Health, about 200,000 people in the U.S. get the disease each year, but Dr. Fenyong Liu, an infectious disease expert at UC Berkeley, says a lot more than that carry the viruses associated with the disease.
“This represents a silent epidemic because people don’t know they have the virus, and we don’t know these people have the virus,” Dr. Liu said.
Doctors say the disease is highly contagious, making daycare centers, and now colleges, ideal breeding grounds.
“This fecal or oral transmission is really an issue when you have dining hall and all this share the dorm,” Dr. Liu said.
Hey,
Dont complain about it.
Its FREEEEEE!!!!!
Another reason not to attend college.
I’m sure we will be seeing even more exotic diseases as the hoards of illegals continues.
Well, seeing the infantile attitudes on college campuses, it is fitting they have such a disease.
I find it telling that this is spread by poor bathroom hygiene
JUSTICE? Who said, ‘May the pox be upon them’? A little snowflake pox is totally warranted. Karma strikes in many ways. I love it.
Oh crud, that wasn’t very Christian of me. Sorry if I offended, (yes, I confess, I’m not a rabid liberal, who would never feel even a moment of remorse over thinking a pox was due).
People, believe me, even hospital doctors and nurses don’t practice proper hand washing. And those blue gloves they wear – those are for their protection not yours.
See, that’s why the gestapo at airports wear them too. WOW is it a revelation that homeland security don’t change their gloves even after touching hundreds of people?
Food service workers. Don’t get me started when medical personnel don’t even wash their hands properly.
Hint – think twice before you pick up that salt shaker, ketchup bottle, syrup bottle etc, things that sit on restaurant tables all day and every day.
It would be great if restaurant patrons donned the blue gloves upon entering. Of course even gloves won’t protect you from food contaminated in kitchen.
TMI?
I wear blue gloves in the airport. Trump’s right, airports are third world shit holes in the USA. I’ve been tempted to wear a bird flu mask also, but likely would be targeted for harassment in throwing off their facial recognition algos without being a mooselimb.
I get laughed at in the grocery store for my wiping down the entire front half of the grocery cart with those disinfectant wipes.
I shudder to think of the vast number of diseases, once eradicated here in the Civilized World, brought back by our ‘Southern Guests’. Infectious tuberculosis being one.
Leprosy being another.
“This fecal or oral transmission …”
Huh?
izlamo delenda est …
Is it surprising that the animals in the barnyard have horn, hoof, and tail disease?
Zonga; I quit going to restaurants and fast food joints when the tattoo craze began. Haven’t been in one since. I don’t want weirdos and perverts anywhere near my food.
Just say NO to bacteria and viruses spread with unwashed hands from somebody’s butt.
Salad bar? Never, don’t do it.
Tattoos! ew!
That’s funny; I don’t remember these diseases being spread on campus when I was in college in the ’70s. I wonder what has changed?
So much for your “safe space” you frigging morons.
@Lazlo – I wipe the cart as well. Particularly the “seat” where shitty diapers have sat and every place dirty hands held on.
Everybody should follow the strict hygiene example set by Hillary Clinton. Heck, she even wipes her server.
More like ‘foot in mouth’ disease.
Computer keyboards, restaurant menus, and especially paper money. I go through a pocket-size bottle of hand disinfectant every week.