High alert for hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease is currently causing many worries and confusion for many parents, because of the complicated situation, the number of children with serious complications and death when the disease increases day by day.This type of infectious disease has no specific treatment and preventive vaccines, the vigilance in prevention is the best way to protect children.

>>> Appeared foot and mouth disease in Hanoi

The doctor examined a case of hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease is very likely to occur in densely populated areas, lack of hygiene

The latest statistics of the Preventive Medicine Department show that from the beginning of the year, the country has recorded 6,112 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, mainly in the Southern region (accounting for 96.7% of cases) and there were 17 deaths. Particularly in Ho Chi Minh City, there were 2,239 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, accounting for more than one third of the whole country, of which there were 11 deaths (accounting for 64.7% of the nation's deaths).

The disease is very contagious

The disease spreads very quickly through the gastrointestinal tract in children living in the same house and the group of children living with the child when the virus spreads through the hands, contaminated food, drinks, floors, toys and eating utensils. . Although the disease primarily attacks children under 5 years of age, especially children aged 3 years but older children and adults can also suffer.

Typical signs of the disease include: fever, sore throat and rash with boils, anorexia, fatigue . Young throat examination finds small red dots then turns into water balloons and progresses to ulcers. These lesions can be seen on the tongue, gums and inside the cheeks. The rash on the skin with flat lesions or can be raised on the skin surface, some form water balloons, often localized in the palm of the hand, the soles of the feet should be called by the name easy to remember ' hands - feet - mouth ' . However, blisters may appear in the buttocks, the knee joint.

The disease becomes more severe and complicates when enteric virus 71

Infection caused by coxsackie virus A16 is usually benign and resolves after 7-10 days, complications are less likely to occur. Hepatitis 71 infection can cause meningitis and more rarely serious illnesses such as poliomyelitis-like paralysis. Entero-viral encephalitis 71 can be fatal.

Common complications of hand, foot and mouth disease include meningitis, acute paralysis, myocarditis, neuropathic pulmonary edema. A single complication or combination of such as meningitis, pulmonary edema and myocarditis on the same patient, often high mortality and progression can be very fast in 24 hours.

The child can be cared for and monitored at home

Children should be visited at health care facilities when they suspect an infected child, if they are assigned to home care, parents should do the following:

- Oral and body hygiene, avoiding infection of water balloons. Reduce pain, reduce fever by wiping yourself with warm water, use antipyretic paracetamol dose 10 - 15mg / kg weight every 4-6 hours, absolutely do not use aspirin to reduce fever, reduce pain for children. Do not pry water balls to avoid infection.

- Reasonable rest, limiting movement, increasing nutrition, feeding liquid and soft foods, drinking plenty of water, especially fruit juice.

- Follow closely to detect signs: easy to startle, panic, shivering, tiredness, self-control, staggering, fluttering, convulsions, flaccid skin, high vomiting, high fever. When these manifestations are needed, the child should be immediately taken to the hospital for timely management and treatment.

Disease prevention

- Wash your hands often with antiseptic soap under running water, especially before and after cooking, before eating and after using the toilet. Be careful to wash your hands after each diaper change.

- Wash all commonly used tools, supplies, toys of the child, wipe the floor with clean water, and then disinfect with chloramin B 5%. Should be done once a week.

- Wear a medical mask when coughing or sneezing.

- Do not share the patient's eating utensils.

- Isolate sick people at home until they are cured, usually at least 7 days.