When will hand, foot and mouth disease stop spreading?

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infectious disease in children under 5 years old, typical symptoms are fever, blisters on hands - feet, sores in the oral cavity, the younger the age, the more severe the disease. The risk of transmission is greatest during the first week of infection, but the incubation period for hand, foot and mouth disease can last several weeks because the virus is confined to feces.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is an acute infectious disease caused by Enterovirus (enteric virus group), most commonly Coxsackie virus A16. The disease can be transmitted from person to person when a child swallows the virus that causes the disease. Hand, foot and mouth virus can be spread from the body of an infected person to the environment through feces, saliva and blisters. Children are the main victims of infection due to their immature immune systems and lack of hygiene awareness.
The time from September to December and March to May is the time when hand, foot and mouth disease tends to increase. Symptoms of the disease include:
Children refuse to eat, drooling, blisters on palms, feet, buttocks, knees, sores in the mouth. The blisters of hand, foot and mouth disease are often mistaken for chickenpox or dermatitis, but the blisters caused by hand, foot and mouth disease are not itchy or painful. When it dries, it does not ulcerate and leave scars. Severe symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease include: Children with fever higher than 39 degrees Celsius, vomiting, unresponsiveness to antipyretic drugs, headache, startling sleep, unsteady walking, weak limbs, tired breathing.. When having these signs, parents need to quickly take the child to the hospital for a specialist doctor to examine and treat promptly. Usually, children with hand, foot and mouth disease will recover in 7-10 days. The best way to take care of a child with hand, foot and mouth disease is to keep the child clean, eat and drink foods that are easy to digest and hygienic, keep the child out of school to avoid transmission of the disease, do not pop the blisters, which will make the disease worse. .

The incubation period for hand, foot and mouth disease is from 3 to 7 days, this is the time when the symptoms are not typical, the patient has not yet discovered that he has hand, foot and mouth disease and can transmit the hand, foot and mouth virus to the community.
The virus can be transmitted through nasopharyngeal secretions, stools, saliva, or fluid from fluid packs. The risk of transmission is greatest during the first week after infection. However, the infectious phase can last several weeks (even if the patient has recovered) because the virus is still present in the stool.
After hand, foot and mouth disease, most children make a full recovery without complications. However, besides coxsackievirus A16, hand, foot and mouth disease can also originate from other viruses such as Enterovirus group including enterovirus 71 (EV71) which is very dangerous. Every time you get sick, your body makes antibodies to the virus. Therefore, children can get hand, foot and mouth disease again if infected with another virus of the enterovirus group.

Currently, there is no vaccine for hand, foot and mouth disease. To reduce the risk of infection, parents can protect their children by keeping them clean and timely medical intervention when symptoms of illness appear.
Hand, foot and mouth prevention measures include:
Maintain good hygiene by washing hands with soap, especially after going to the toilet, after contact with blisters, before cooking and feeding, before and after diaper changes... Disinfect toys, surfaces and items with diluted chlorine bleach and soap. Do not have direct contact with infected children. Parents of children with hand, foot and mouth disease should keep their children away from school for at least 10 days to prevent the virus from spreading. Squeeze used diapers and tissues in a covered trash can. Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing. Keep the house, kindergarten and living environment clean for children. Parents need to have knowledge about hand, foot and mouth disease in children, when detecting suspected signs of hand, foot and mouth disease in children, they should immediately take them to a reputable medical facility for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Appropriate treatment.. When a child has an illness, it should be accurately diagnosed and treated promptly to avoid dangerous complications (meningitis, pulmonary edema).
Pediatrics department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in children, .... With modern equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Along with that is the dedication from the doctors with professional experience with pediatric patients, making the examination no longer a concern of the parents.
Customers can directly go to Vinmec Health system nationwide to visit or contact the hotline here for support.