In April in the south of the Yangtze River, the spring rain is like a crisp, the grass grows and the warbler flies, but it is warm and cold at first, the temperature fluctuates greatly, and the temperature difference between morning and evening is also large. Respiratory infections are still frequent, and intestinal infectious diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease in children are gradually entering the epidemic period. The increase in outings also increases the risk of insect-borne infectious diseases such as fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome. Nanjing CDC hereby reminds that this month we will focus on the prevention of new coronavirus infection, whooping cough, hand, foot and mouth disease, fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and other diseases.
1. Novel coronavirus infection
Recently, although the new coronavirus infection in our city is in a low epidemic period, the epidemic strain is constantly evolving, and the JN.1 variant is the current dominant epidemic virus strain in our city. With the increase in the flow of people, the risk of contracting the virus persists, so it is necessary to adhere to personal protection and maintain good personal hygiene habits.
Health reminders
1. Take personal protective measures. Adhere to hygiene habits such as frequent hand washing, scientific wearing of masks, frequent ventilation, social distancing, and cough etiquette.
2. Do a good job of daily health monitoring. Susceptible people should pay close attention to their own health conditions, and when they have suspicious symptoms of new coronavirus infection such as fever, cough, fatigue, sore throat, and loss of smell and taste, they should give priority to home observation, rational use of drugs, and seek medical attention in a timely manner if necessary.
3. Actively get vaccinated. In the absence of contraindications to vaccination, it is recommended that eligible persons receive the new coronavirus vaccine as soon as possible. This is especially true for high-risk groups such as the elderly and patients with chronic underlying medical conditions.
2. Pertussis
Pertussis is an acute respiratory infection caused by Bordetella pertussis, which is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets but can also be transmitted through close contact. The population is generally susceptible, with children under 5 years of age having the highest susceptibility. Onset is characterized by paroxysmal, spasmodic cough and inspiratory roars. The course of the disease can be as long as 2~3 months, hence the name "whooping cough".
Health reminders
1. Standardize vaccination. The vaccines currently used in mainland China are diphtheria toxoid, acellular pertussis vaccine, and tetanus toxoid (DTaP) triple vaccine. The vaccination time is 3 months old, 4 months old, 5 months old, and 1 dose at 18 months old. Parents or guardians should take infants and young children to the vaccination unit in time to receive the full course of pertussis-containing vaccine to obtain a stronger immunity. It is important to note that pertussis vaccination or natural infection does not result in long-lasting immunity and can be reinfected.
2. Do a good job of personal daily protection. During the epidemic season, susceptible groups such as children, the elderly and the infirm, and pregnant women should avoid going to crowded places with poor air circulation, and should take personal protective measures when they must go, insist on wearing masks scientifically, and maintain a safe social distance from others. Open windows frequently indoors for ventilation, and ensure frequent hand washing, proper exercise, and light diet to improve your own resistance.
3. If the cough is severe or lasts for a long time, it may lead to serious complications in the process, and seek medical attention in time if necessary.
3. Hand, foot and mouth disease
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infectious disease caused by a variety of enteroviruses, mostly occurring in children under 5 years old, manifested as fever and rashes, herpes or ulcers on the skin and mucous membranes of the hands, feet, mouth, buttocks and other parts.
Health reminders
1. Get vaccinated actively. EV71 vaccination can effectively prevent hand, foot and mouth disease caused by EV71 virus, reduce the occurrence of severe disease and death, and it is recommended to vaccinate children aged 6 months ~ 5 years old as soon as possible.
2. Pay attention to hand hygiene. Wash your hands frequently, do not drink raw water, do not eat raw and cold food, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when sneezing and coughing, and wash your hands in time to avoid touching your mouth, eyes and nose with dirty hands.
3. Pay attention to the cleanliness of the home environment. In particular, clean and disinfect children's tableware, toys and other items, and wipe down surfaces such as floors, tabletops, doorknobs, bed fences, etc., and disinfect them if necessary. Open windows regularly every day to ventilate and keep the indoor air fresh.
4. Early detection and early medical treatment. Once infants and young children have fever, rash (especially perianal rash) or mouth ulcers and other related symptoms, they should go to a medical institution for medical treatment in time.
4. Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome
Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome is an acute infectious disease caused by a new type of bunyavirus, a natural infectious disease with ticks as the vector, and the clinical manifestations are mainly characterized by fever, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia, commonly known as "tick disease". The population is generally susceptible. Residents and workers living and working in endemic areas such as mountains, hills, and woodlands, as well as tourists who go to outdoor activities in the area, are at higher risk of infection. In recent years, the incidence rate has increased in many parts of the mainland.
Health reminders
1. Do a good job of personal protection. Try to avoid sitting and lying for long periods of time in the main habitat of ticks, such as grass and woods, and if you need to enter such areas, wear long-sleeved clothing, tighten your trouser legs, do not wear sandals, apply repellent to bare skin, and soak or spray your clothes and camping equipment such as tents with insecticide.
2. Clean up the environment regularly. Residents living in hilly, mountainous, forested and other areas shall do a good job of cleaning up and killing ticks in their home environment and raising livestock. Livestock and poultry are kept in captivity to reduce grazing in the wild. If you find that there are tick parasites in your pets and livestock, you can spray and apply tickicide.
3. After returning home from outdoor activities, you should carefully check whether there are ticks attached to your body, and the key parts of the examination are the scalp, behind the ears, armpits, waist, groin, inner thighs and leg sockets.
4. Respond to tick bites scientifically. Once a tick is found to have bitten the skin, you can apply alcohol to the tick to relax or die, and then use pointed tweezers to remove the tick, do not pull hard to avoid scratching the skin, or leave the head of the tick in the skin. After removal, use iodine or alcohol for local disinfection, and observe the physical condition at any time, such as fever, inflammation and ulceration of the bite site and erythema, etc., to seek medical attention in time to avoid missing the best time for treatment.
Source: Nanjing Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Editor: Zhao Zhuo
Proofreading: Yang Lixia
Editor-in-charge: Song Tao