Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infectious disease caused by a variety of enteroviruses, with infants and children as the main cause. Most patients have mild symptoms and are characterized by fever and rash or herpes on the hands, feet and mouth. A small number of patients can be complicated by aseptic meningitis, encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, respiratory tract infection and myocarditis, etc. Individual children with severe disease progress rapidly and are prone to death.
The enteroviruses that cause HFMD include enterovirus 71 (EV71) and certain serotypes of group A coxsackieviruses (CoxA) and echoviruses (Echo), and EV71 infection causes a greater proportion of severe cases. Enteroviruses are highly infectious, spread rapidly, have a large proportion of latent infections, and are prone to cause outbreaks or epidemics.
Both patients and latently infected persons are the infectious agents of the disease. Enteroviruses are mainly transmitted via fecal-oral and/or respiratory droplets, and can also be contracted through contact with the skin and mucosal vesicles of patients. It is usually most contagious within one week after the onset of the disease. The disease can be spread by the patient’s feces, herpes fluid and respiratory secretions and their contaminated hands, towels, handkerchiefs, dental cups, toys, eating utensils, milk utensils, bedding, underwear and medical instruments.
When suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease, parents should strengthen the care of the child and pay close attention to the changes in the child’s condition.
1, we should pay attention to the care of the child’s hands, feet and other parts of the herpes, if necessary, can be used to wipe the skin with external iodine volts, and good oral hygiene.
2. For children with fever, physical cooling can be given and vitamin C, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 can be given.
3.If the child’s symptoms worsen and the following symptoms appear, please send the child to the infectious disease hospital without delay.
①High fever (>38q5℃) in the child.
② poor mental health, drowsiness, headache, vomiting, easily startled, shaking limbs, standing weakness; further severe cases may have frequent convulsions.
③ shallow and difficult breathing, change in respiratory rhythm, severe cases with cyanosis of the lips and white, pink or bloody foamy fluid (sputum) in the mouth.
④ Pale face, fast or slow heartbeat, shallow and weak pulse, or even disappear in severe cases, cold limbs and cyanotic fingers (toes).
4, the child in the “hand, foot and mouth” during the disease, due to weak body resistance, easy to infect other diseases, therefore, the child should be instructed to isolate treatment at home, avoid playing with other children to prevent cross-infection, parents should also do the following things during the care of children at home.
① During the illness food should be liquid and semi-liquid and other light, non-irritating food, and drink more water.
(2) If you have pharyngitis, rinse your mouth with saline or warm boiled water before eating.
③Do not pick the herpes with a needle or nail to avoid secondary infection.
④Patients may also be attacked by other bacteria or viruses during the onset of HFMD and suffer from other diseases, such as pneumonia, measles, chickenpox, diarrhea, etc. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to isolation during the illness. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to isolation during the illness and reduce the number of children going to crowded public places to avoid cross-infection.
⑤ The child’s clothes should be frequently dried or disinfected, and the child’s feces should be disinfected in a timely manner.
(6) Parents should wash their hands before touching the child or after changing diapers or handling feces, and dispose of garbage and dirt properly.
(7) Improve personal and home hygiene, pay attention to hand washing and home ventilation, and dry clothes and blankets regularly.
(8) Do not receive visits from classmates and friends during the rest period at home to avoid spreading HFMD.