Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease characterized by blisters on the skin and mucous membranes accompanied by fever. Hand, foot and mouth disease in infants can be fatal or leave long-term sequelae if not cared for properly.
1. Hand, foot and mouth in children
Hand - foot - mouth occurs almost all year round in tropical countries, including Vietnam. Although this disease is no stranger to parents in our country, so far, diagnostic testing is still very complicated and expensive, easy to be confused with other conditions. . Therefore, the appearance of blisters in all 3 positions of hands, feet and mouth is an important clinical sign that helps to rule out other diseases, thereby diagnosing and treating children with dementia. right hand foot mouth .
The routes of transmission of hand, foot and mouth disease in infants and young children include:
● Directly from feces – mouth;
● Indirectly through water, food or dirty hands;
● Spread through the respiratory tract (in rare cases).
The earliest symptoms of the disease are usually low-grade fever, loss of appetite, and fatigue. Over the next 1-2 days, your child will develop a pink rash on the normal skin, which gradually turns into a blister. Lesions on the oral mucosa, including the tongue and gums, take the form of sores that cause pain when swallowing and are easily confused with common canker sores (soreness / canker sores). The skin blisters often appear on the palms and forearms, as well as the soles of the feet and legs. Hand, foot and mouth in infants can also develop a papule rash on the buttocks, where diapers are worn. In the acute and progressive stages, patients sometimes experience additional symptoms.
2. Taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease
Because there is currently no specific medicine to treat hand, foot and mouth disease, in order to reduce the risk of skin-mucous infections, parents need to pay attention to maintaining body hygiene for sick children. How to care for a child with hand, foot and mouth disease specifically:
● Have the child gargle with salt water every day;
● Bathe the baby when he has hand, foot and mouth disease with warm water, wash the child's body gently, avoid breaking the water ball or scratching the skin;
● Change into fresh, clean clothes every day after bathing;
● Keep fingernails short, or give gloves to young children, to limit skin damage from scratching;
● Develop a diet full of nutrients and according to children's needs;
● Add plenty of fluids for the child's body, including cooled boiled water, fresh fruit juice, broth, porridge, etc.
3. Prevention of hand, foot and mouth complications in infants
Along with taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease properly as instructed, parents also need to closely monitor the developments of skin and mucous membrane lesions, as well as the general condition of the child. It is necessary to take the child to the hospital immediately for treatment of serious complications when the following signs are present:
● High fever does not go down;
● severe headache;
● Vomiting a lot;
● Drowsiness, fatigue;
● Startled with;
● Convulsions.
With proper treatment, children with hand, foot and mouth disease will recover within a week without any complications. Initially, the blisters will be clear, after healing time, there will be no scars. But if not treated properly, the disease turns to the stage of superinfection, the blister will have cloudy fluid. Severe disease can lead to very serious complications, such as:
● Sepsis ;
● Inflammation of the brain and meninges;
● Myocarditis.
In particular, complications related to the brain have a high risk of causing death of the patient and leaving long-term sequelae affecting the child's later life.
Although it has been determined that the cause of hand, foot and mouth disease is an intestinal virus, there is still no specific treatment as well as a vaccine against hand, foot and mouth disease in infants and children. . Therefore, the community needs to join hands to prevent disease by improving the quality of the living environment, ensuring "cooked food and drinking" and maintaining personal hygiene, especially before eating and after defecation. For cases of disease, it is necessary to take care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease properly, especially pay attention to avoid further injury to scalds on the mucous membranes and bathe the baby with hand, foot and mouth disease daily with warm water to limit the risk of infection. infection control.