Madam Karen Sim, 40, is no doctor but she has become an expert at spotting the symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease. After all, she has had to deal with the infectious disease not once, not twice, but four times.

She calls HFMD a 'terrible thing' that has to run its course. 'It's painful for the parent because your child is suffering but there's nothing you can do about it.'

Her elder son Christopher, now 11, caught HFMD in 2000 when he was three. The outbreak that year saw 557 childcare centres and 440 kindergartens closed for two weeks.

Christopher had ulcers in his mouth, a fever and blisters on his hands and feet. Madam Sim caught it too looking after him.

Three years ago, her younger son Nicholas, now six, contracted a mild case of HFMD.

He contracted it again a year later, and got it worse that time. Nicholas refused to eat or drink and Madam Sim had to check him into KK Women's and Children's Hospital.

He recovered fully only after five days.

This article was first published in Mind Your Body, The Straits Times on Apr 9, 2008.