Kids' diseases in adults

摘要

WITH all my grandchildren now at school or nursery, the whole family has become exposed to childhood diseases, and my wife has managed to contract two infections that we do not recall having been around when our own children were still infants. Indeed, the first of these — hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) — may have been brought about by a virus that evolved less than 20 years ago. HFMD is caused by various strains of picornavirus, of which one of the commonest is enterovirus 71, which was not known before 1994.