Starship children's hospital in Auckland is seeing more admissions from the common childhood condition hand, foot and mouth disease, because of a new strain that's hit the country.
The normally mild disease causes fever and a rash or spots including in the mouth and throat and is usually treated by GPs or by parents at home.
A paediatric infectious disease consultant at Starship, Dr Emma Best, says the new strain can cause a more severe or extensive rash.
She says the hospital usually sees about one case a week but since the new strain has been seeing two or three a day.
Dr Best says that is mostly because the infected children have become dehydrated because eating and drinking can become difficult.
