LAUSR

ObjectivesTo investigate an outbreak of Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Andaman Islands during 2013.MethodsEpidemiological, clinical data and samples were collected from HFMD patients who attended selected hospitals. Data were analyzed and samples were processed for detection of Enterovirus and further confirmed by sequencing. Serotype-specific molecular typing was also done to identify the etiological agent.ResultsOf the 246 suspected patients, most were affected in August 2013 (92/246, 37.4%). Fever (71.2%) associated with typical HFMD rashes (100%) were the most common presenting symptoms and rashes were mostly distributed on hands (100%), legs (92%), mouth (77%), and buttocks (52.8%). All cases were reported as mild and recovered completely without any complications. Enterovirus was detected in 63 cases (50.4%).ConclusionHFMD was mild, mostly reported in children <60 months of age, and in boys. Coxsackie virus A16 was found to be the only etiological agent for this specific outbreak.