Texas boys, aged five and one, contract hand, foot and mouth disease at WATER PARKS, causing painful red sores and seizures

Two boys in Texas have been infected with a virus that causes painful lesions in the mouth after playing at water parks.

In the first case, a one-year-old child was hospitalized with seizures and red bumps on his skin after contracting hand, food and mouth disease (HFMD) at a water park in the southern tip of the state.

The boy, who was rushed to the doctors by mother Guadalupe Rodriguez, also had ulcers in his throat that were causing it to “close up.”

And in the second case, a five-year-old named Javier was left with a painful red rash and spots after going to a segregated water park in San Antonio during a school trip.

Pediatricians warn parents to be vigilant about the disease which can lead to seizures in severe cases. They say infections tend to increase around the early summer and fall months.

They became infected after visiting a water park near their apartment complex. The cub initially had bumps on his arm and leg (see photo), which the mother initially thought were mosquito bites

Experts warn that water parks could spread the highly contagious disease if their water is not properly treated, putting young people at risk of becoming infected.

HFMD – caused by the virus coxsackievirus 16 – usually causes fever, vomiting and a rash on the mouth, hands and feet, which clears up within 10 days.

But in very young patients the disease can be much more serious and lead to seizures, caused by inflammation of the fluid around the brain.

The disease is highly transmissible and is spread through contact with fluids from an infected person – such as through blisters – and by swallowing infected water.

Ms. Rodriguez – who lives in Harlingen, on the Texas-Mexico border – told the local station Valley Central News that her one-year-old became unwell after she took him to play on the splash pad of their apartment complex.

The boy initially had small bumps on his arms and around his mouth, which his mother dismissed as mosquito bites.

But by the next morning they had spread across his body – with the boy also suffering from a red rash, sores in his mouth and a fever of 40 degrees Celsius.

A five-year-old child named Javier also became infected with the disease after visiting a water park in San Antonio. His symptoms are pictured above

Javier is pictured above playing in the water in happier times before he became infected

Three days after visiting Pearsall Park in San Antonio, Texas, during a school trip, he developed symptoms of the disease

He was rushed to doctors in Mexico because they couldn’t see a doctor locally, where he was diagnosed with HFMD, likely via a throat swab, and subsequently suffered a febrile seizure, or a convulsion caused by fever.

Mrs Rodriguez, whose son became ill in mid-May, said: ‘At first we thought it was just mosquito bites (on his arms).

‘But the next day we noticed that his whole body was covered in bumps and rashes.

‘On Sunday we noticed that it got much worse. His rash became increasingly red, he got something in his mouth and his throat was closed.’

He is now believed to be recovering at home, and doctors say it could take at least two weeks before he is no longer contagious.

In the second case, mother Abigail Rodriguez – who lives in San Antonio – said her five-year-old son Javier was doing well when he went to Pearsall Park for a field trip.

But three days later, the area around his mouth suddenly broke out in an angry red rash, which was diagnosed as HFMD. The pup also had a fever of 101F.

Ms Rodriguez, who revealed the case last week, said online: ‘I wouldn’t advise you to come here in the summer and bring your children here’ – referring to Pearsall Park.

“Three days ago my son and I went here for his field trip and he ended up with HFMD.”

She added, “It wasn’t a joke, he had a fever of 101F and he was in pain, my poor baby.”

The cases appear to be unrelated: HFMD cases rise in early summer at higher temperatures, which allow the virus to survive longer outside the body and cause more infections.

It has also not been officially confirmed that the infections are linked to water parks, although the possibility has not been ruled out.

Pearsall Park is managed by the San Antonio City Council, which opened the venue – and splash pad area – in 2016.

Dr. Asim Zamir, a physician at Valley Regional Medical Center, warned parents that cases are increasing around this time of year.

He said: “Humidity and warm weather promote the spread of the virus. They cause them (the virus) to spread more and become more contagious or contagious.”

It is estimated that approximately 10 to 15 million cases of HFMD are recorded in the US each year – mostly among children under the age of five.

Patients may develop a rash that lasts for up to two weeks, during which time they can still spread the disease to others.

Those who are infected are advised to take over-the-counter pain relievers to relieve fever and pain caused by mouth sores.

Patients are also told to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, as this can happen because mouth sores make swallowing painful.

Children diagnosed with the disease should avoid contact with others for at least seven days to avoid spreading the infection.