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Head Lice – Help!!!

Every parent’s heart sinks when they receive the dreaded note from school warning about head lice. Don’t worry – Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy in Donabate is here to to give us advice and tips. The first thing to do is to check the child’s head. You will need some tea tree conditioner, a... Read more >

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Are You SunSmart?

We ask Jane Brennan from Brennan’s Life Pharmacy Donabate how to make the most of great sunny summer days whilst protecting our skin from harmful rays. Jane says “The Irish Cancer Society SunSmart program has great guidelines to keep us safe. See below for some useful tips and advice” Ways to protect your skin: Shade... Read more >

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Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes

Pollen Highs & Watery Eyes… Talk to Jane Brennan, your Hay Fever Expert in Donabate Are your eyes itchy, red or watery? Is your throat scratchy? Are you sneezing? Do you have itchy ears, nose or mouth? Do you have a blocked or runny nose? Do you wake up feeling exhausted? Hay fever can cause... Read more >

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Life Pharmacy Ireland – Live Better

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NHS Choices - Causes of hand, foot and mouth disease

(10/03/2014)

Hand, foot and mouth disease is caused by different types of enterovirus all belonging to a group called enterovirus A. The most common types are coxsackievirus A16, A6, A10 and enterovirus 71.

It is believed the virus first spreads to tissue inside the mouth, near the tonsils, and down to the digestive system.

The virus can then spread into nearby lymph nodes (glands) and then throughout the body, via the blood. The immune system (the body’s defence against infection) controls the virus before it can spread to vital organs, such as the brain.

How it spreads

The viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease can be spread in two different ways:

  • respiratory droplets  in almost the same way as a common cold
  • surface or contact contamination with fecal matter (stool)

People usually become infected by picking up the virus on their hands from contaminated objects, then placing their hands near their mouth or nose. It is also possible to breathe in the virus if it is suspended in the air.

The viruses are unable to spread in this way once a person’s symptoms have passed.

However, the viruses also occur in large amounts in the stools of an infected person, and can stay for up to four weeks after the symptoms have gone.

You can also become infected with hand, foot and mouth disease if you make contact with fluid from the blisters or saliva of someone who is infected.