So contagious is the mouth rot
Mouth rot in children is a smear and droplet infection and is highly contagious. It is transmitted via the saliva. Especially in kindergarten, children can quickly become infected through toys that are often put in the mouth.
Especially the first contact with the herpes simplex virus type 1 leads to an outbreak of mouth rot in children. Mouth rot is highly contagious and only when the blisters have completely healed and dried out is the infection phase over. Only then may the child have contact with other children again.
Therefore, the complete healing should be waited for when the child attends kindergarten. In addition, the affected children feel very weak and weakened by fever and the pain in the mouth, so that a visit to the kindergarten is not possible. The incubation period is the time between contact with the herpes virus and the actual outbreak of the disease.
It usually lasts 1 – 26 days in the case of mouth rot and varies from child to child. The relatively long period of time makes it difficult to find out what exactly was the trigger of the infection, but it is usually found in the direct environment of the child. The incubation period depends on the physical condition and the strength of the immune system of each child.
Especially in very young children, the immune system is still in the process of building up and infection occurs more quickly. At first the disease starts with a sometimes high fever and when the first blisters appear on the oral mucosa, the typical pain and accompanying symptoms of mouth rot begin. The mouth rot in the child is usually accompanied by fever, this lasts up to five days, after the first 2-3 days the typical blisters on the oral mucosa usually form.
The acute phase of mouth rot lasts about one to two weeks, depending on the severity and course of the disease, after which the blisters and wounds dry out and heal slowly, this can take up to three weeks. Once healed, the acute risk of infection is overcome, but the herpes virus remains in the body and can later, even in adulthood, cause a new infection. This secondary infection usually occurs when the immune system is weakened or under stress, and is manifested by cold sores called cold sores on the lips.
In babies, the disease can last longer and be more severe. In the acute state, oral thrush in babies usually lasts for about two weeks until improvement occurs, and the entire course of the disease can last up to six weeks in babies. Especially with babies, a pediatrician should check the mouth rot at the first signs, it often leads to a refusal to eat and can lead to dangerous dehydration.
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