Eastern Health has confirmed recent reports of what is believed to be an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The health authority said it has received reports from doctors and parents of individuals with the signs and symptoms of the moderately contagious viral illness.

"We've had 24 [cases] reported since the beginning of June, but I think that really is very much an underestimate of the number of cases that are actually there,” said Dr. David Allison, medical officer of health for the region, speaking with On The Go host Ted Blades Wednesday afternoon.

Symptoms of the virus may include fever, loss of appetite, sores in the mouth and throat, a skin rash usually found on the hands and feet, and bumps that may sometimes be mistaken for chickenpox.

Allison said the disease is a common infection in children and needs to run its course. There is no treatment or cure.

"Most cases are relatively mild … It probably lasts a couple of days.”

He said infected children may not be sick enough to stay home, one reason it's spreading this summer.

"These days with the hot weather, kids may not be washing their hands as well as they ought to be, and they are together in gyms and camps, and that's where it's spreading."

Eastern Health is encouraging a number of preventative measures that can be taken to help decrease transmission, including frequent hand washing, keeping objects such as toys and doorknobs clean, as well as any surfaces that may be contaminated.

Keeping children at home when they are sick and avoiding close contact with people who are infected will also help reduce the spread of the virus, the health authority said.