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A health official in Odisha said on Tuesday that 26 children have been diagnosed with hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) and that their status is stable. Intestinal viruses cause HFMD, an infectious condition that usually affects children. Adults rarely get sick because their immune systems are normally robust enough to fight the virus.

According to the World Health Organization, fever, painful mouth sores, and a rash with blisters on the hands, feet, and buttocks are the most common symptoms of the viral infection.

Health Services director Bijay Mohapatra told reporters that 26 of the 36 samples collected and examined at the Regional Medical Research Centre in Bhubaneswar were determined to be HFMD positive.

According to Mohapatra, 19 of the HFMD-infected youngsters are from Bhubaneswar, three from Puri, and two each from Cuttack and Puri.

"Those afflicted are between the ages of one and nine yesterdays," the official added. "They have been instructed to remain in isolation for five to seven days."

The patients' condition is not life-threatening, and they are being monitored, he added.

Over 80 instances of HFMD were detected earlier this month in Kerala's Kollam district, leading the neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to step up their surveillance in border districts.