At the turn of spring and summer, the temperature is getting higher and higher, and the incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease is also increasing, and the risk of cluster outbreaks in densely populated places such as schools and childcare institutions is increasing. Experts suggest that parents and teachers should pay more attention to the symptoms of children's hands, feet, mouth and other parts, and seek medical attention in time if abnormalities are found.
Alternate spring and summer Be alert to hand, foot and mouth disease
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common acute infectious disease in children aged 5 years and younger caused by a variety of enteroviruses. It can occur throughout the year, with the peak of spring and summer from April to July, and the peak of autumn from September to November.
Guo Xin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Children's Hospital: Early detection through some clues, you can carefully observe the mucous membranes of the child's mouth and skin, usually the typical symptoms are the involvement of the hands, feet, and the child's small buttocks, and small red spots may appear. After the incubation period of 3-5 days, the child may have some early fever, oral salivation, sore throat, or have appeared on the hands, feet or buttocks of this rash, so if such symptoms appear, parents must pay attention to the child may have hand, foot and mouth disease.
It is understood that it takes about 2-10 days from infection to symptom onset of HFMD, with an average of 3-5 days. The clinical manifestations are mainly fever, herpes on the oral mucosa, maculopapular rash and herpes on the hands, feet and buttocks, and may be accompanied by symptoms such as cough, runny nose and lack of appetite. Children usually have mild symptoms and are self-limited, and the prognosis is generally good, and they can fully recover after 7-10 days of illness.
Hand, foot and mouth disease rashes are characterized by the absence of scabs and scars
According to experts, hand, foot and mouth disease will cause rashes on the buccal mucosa of the children's mouth, including the tongue, soft palate, and even tonsils, and rashes will appear on the hands and feet, and some children will have rashes on the elbows, upper arms, buttocks, thighs, and knees. Some parents are worried that if these macules are accidentally broken, will they leave a scar on their child? Let's listen to the experts↓
Guo Xin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Children's Hospital: Because the herpes of hand, foot and mouth disease is relatively small and the blister fluid is not very rich, it will not leave scars or scabs, as long as it is allowed to subside on its own. When encountering some special serotypes of rash, its area and scope may be relatively large, and nail loss may occur in about 2~4 weeks of the course of the disease, in this case, you should not be nervous, and you can recover normally in 1~2 months. Hand, foot and mouth disease is characterized by no pain, no itching, no scabs, and no scars.
Experts remind that when there are these situations, it is recommended that parents bring their children to the hospital for treatment in time.
Guo Xin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Children's Hospital:
Relatively young age, especially infants and toddlers younger than three years old;
Persistent high fever with body temperature, greater than 38.5 °C, the effect of fever reduction is not good;
If there is mental weakness, drowsiness, paleness, sweating, cold hands and feet, and small patterns on the skin, this situation indicates that the child's condition is aggravated.
Generally, it is 1~5 days after the course of the disease, and if the condition deteriorates rapidly, parents should seek medical attention in time and be hospitalized if necessary.
Hand, foot and mouth disease can be transmitted in a variety of ways, and home care is important
According to reports, both patients and people with latent infection can be the source of HFMD infection, and the proportion of latent infection is large. Patients are contagious before the onset of illness and are usually most contagious within a week of the onset of illness.
The main mode of transmission is close contact, which is through direct contact with the feces, herpes fluid, nasopharyngeal secretions, saliva of the patient, and contact with contaminated hands, towels, handkerchiefs, dental cups, toys, tableware, feeding bottles, bedding and other items or environment. It can also be transmitted through respiratory droplets, such as coughing, sneezing, etc.; Infection can also occur by drinking or eating water and food contaminated with the virus. When caring for a child at home, experts recommend that parents pay attention to the following.
Guo Xin, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Beijing Children's Hospital:
Even if the child does not eat, he should be given more water, because repeated and persistent high fever will cause more non-obvious water loss.
For home care, we do not routinely recommend oral care with mouthwash and disinfectant, and you can rinse your mouth with water or saline.
Symptomatic fever reduction should be actively carried out. The fever reducers we commonly use in our daily lives, including acetaminophen and ibuprofen, should avoid aspirin in children.
Make sure your child is rested so that he can recover fully.
In addition, experts recommend that children should not be taken to public places with crowds and poor air circulation during the HFMD epidemic. To protect children as early as possible, children are encouraged to be fully vaccinated before the age of 12 months. It is not recommended for children over 5 years of age.
Source: China Gansu Net