A New Jersey bargain hunter claims she contracted a contagious virus while sifting through thrift store clothing bins.
Sarah Smithers had bumps and blisters on her hands days after searching for hours in a Goodwill bargain bin with her bare hands.
He was diagnosed with coxsackievirus, commonly known as hand, foot and mouth disease, which is transmitted through airborne droplets when someone coughs or sneezes.
Doctors and nurses said that although it may seem exaggerated, these droplets can remain on clothing for hours and be transmitted to other people who then touch their mouth or an open sore.
Experts are warned not to dig into bins full of strangers’ dirty clothes without washing their hands thoroughly at the end.
TikTok user Sarah Smithers contracted coxsackievirus, commonly known as hand, foot, and mouth disease, after spending hours sifting through bargain bins at a New Jersey Goodwill with her bare hands.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease causes a rash and painful sores on the hands, feet, and inside of the mouth. Sores may also appear on the buttocks, and although the rash is not itchy, it can be very painful.
Sarah ventured to her local Goodwill store to browse the bargain bins, as many people had told her she could get “a lot of good things for not much money.”
“What they don’t tell you is that you could get hand, foot and mouth disease like I did.”
His warning prompted doctors to recommend wearing gloves and washing hands thoroughly after digging.
Contact with the saliva or feces of an infected person and then touching your face, mouth, eyes, or nose can cause HFMD.
Between 10 and 15 million cases of enteroviruses, including coxsackievirus, are confirmed in the United States each year. Most of them occur in children.
When a sick person’s saliva, mucus or fluid from blisters comes into contact with clothing, pathogens can linger for hours, according to California-based podiatrist Dr. Dana Brems, who responded to Ms. Smithers’ video.
Tennessee Dermatologist Dr. Luke Maxfield saying in response to Ms Smithers’ account: ‘Ugh, bad deal. Someone’s dirty hands touch an object, you touch the object, you touch your face, then your hand, your foot, your mouth.
“There’s really no treatment, so wash your hands.”
Dr. Myro Figure, an anesthesiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, added: “Coxsackie virus is incredibly contagious.”
The virus can also cause flu-like symptoms, such as sore throat, diarrhea, dehydration, and loss of appetite.
Because it cannot be treated with antibiotics, patients must endure it until it resolves on its own, usually seven to ten days.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is most common in children under seven years of age. The virus has no cure and typically runs its course in about a week.
Dr. Meghan Martin, a Florida pediatric emergency physician, saying: ‘Actually, it should be called hand, foot, mouth and butt disease… it causes a rash and potentially blistering lesions on the hands, feet, around the mouth, the back of the throat and the butt.’
The condition is most commonly seen in infants and young children.
Dr. Martin added, “Honestly, the most important thing is to manage pain to encourage patients to drink and stay hydrated.”
Patients with HFMD should take over-the-counter pain relievers, which will also reduce fever, such as ibuprofen or Tylenol.
Goodwill recommends on its site that shoppers wear gloves “good enough to protect from cuts and scrapes.”
The outlet adds: ‘Especially nowadays, you can never be too sure. These types of stores throw items in the trash; broken, put together, sharpened or dull.’
HFMD is rarely associated with serious complications, such as pneumonia and inflammation of the pancreas. In very rare cases, the infection can reach the brain and cause inflammation of the protective layer surrounding the brain, called meningitis.
Nearly 13 percent of cases are asymptomatic, 86 percent are mild, one percent progress to severe or critical stages, and 0.03 percent result in death.