More than a dozen treated for hand, foot, and mouth disease at JMU

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WSET) -- Hand, foot, and mouth disease is on the rise and has been spreading along the east coast.

In July, the Central Shenandoah Health District said doctor visits had increased due to the illness with a total of 376 emergency department and urgent care visits.

Recently, NBC News reported that the disease, which is notorious for attacking young children, started hitting college campuses.

"I have never seen this before," Dr. Roanna Kessler, medical director of the wellness center at Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus, told NBC. "In previous years we have usually seen it in only a handful of people."

129 students have been diagnosed with hand, foot, and mouth disease at the university.

Other schools with outbreaks include Princeton, Dartmouth, West Virginia University, Lehigh University, Wesleyan University in Connecticut, Mars Hill University in North Carolina, and James Madison University.

JMU's newspaper, The Breeze, reported that there have been 21 cases of the disease as of Monday.

They reported that the number of cases could be higher, since many have gone off campus to the doctor or chosen not to get treated.

HFMD is spread from person to person by direct contact with the viruses that cause this disease.

Dr. Kessler said she wonders if the unusually warm fall would help the virus stay around and spread.

According to the Virginia Department of Health, symptoms include fever, fatigue, and then a rash that typically in the mouth, on palms, or soles.

There is no treatment for the illness, but there are ways to keep it from spreading like washing your hands often with soap, disinfecting dirty surfaces and soiled items, and avoid close contact such as kissing, hugging, and sharing utensils with people who have the disease.