KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops mother wants to sound a warning after her 18 month old son returned from a family vacation to the Mayan Riviera with hand, foot and mouth disease.
WATCH: Full story by Reporter Tanya Cronin
Jennifer Bennett returned from Mexico on Sunday along with her boyfriend and their son Jakob.
Bennett says what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation was anything but, with the family confined to their room after Jakob contracted the highly contagious illness.
The main symptom is a painful rash that spreads all over the body, and can easily spread to others.
Bennett adds the virus has been a nightmare for her son, and for the whole family.
“He has hive-like bumps all over but they’re in clusters,” says Bennett. “As they progress, they grow bigger and bigger and the inside fills up with fluid that then pops and creates more.”
“He takes it really hard at night time. It really bugs him during the night,” says Bennett. “My boyfriend and I were up for two days straight because he wasn’t sleeping. He’d fall asleep and then he’d wake up screaming. He’s not eating. Luckily he’s drinking and keeping hydrated.”
Bennett says she had no warning that there was an outbreak in this area of Mexico, even though it had already been noticed at several nearby resorts.
“I don’t feel safe travelling,” adds Bennett. “I travel to go and enjoy myself and have a vacation, and not to spend the last of my two-week vacation in a hotel room, isolated, because my 18 month old has a virus that’s highly contagious.”
