Taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease properly

This article is expertly consulted by Master, Doctor Ngo Thi Oanh - Pediatrician - Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Hand, foot and mouth disease in children is common in children under 5 years old and spreads quickly. The disease usually goes away on its own and does not affect the child's health too much. However, if taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease improperly can cause many dangerous complications for the baby.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease that can spread quickly from person to person and is spread mainly through the gastrointestinal tract. The main pathogens are from the saliva, blisters and feces of people infected with enteric viruses.
Hand, foot and mouth disease can occur at any age, but is most common in children under 5 years old, especially in the group under 3 years of age. Hand, foot and mouth disease is a benign disease, but without proper care and treatment, it can cause many dangerous complications such as encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis, acute pulmonary edema leading to death if not detected in a timely manner.

Incubation period: the virus will enter the child's body and have an incubation period of 3-7 days before the onset of symptoms with obvious symptoms.
Onset stage: in 1-2 days, at this stage, infected babies will have symptoms such as mild fever, fatigue, sore throat, lack of appetite, diarrhea.
Full-blown phase: lasts for 3 - 10 days with typical symptoms of the disease such as:
Mouth ulcers: red sores, vesicular blisters 2 - 3 mm in diameter on the lining of the mouth, tongue, gums ; make children have mouth pain, stop eating, increase salivation. Bullous rash: These rashes are found on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, knees, and buttocks. The rash will last for about 7 days and go away on its own but will leave a bruise. No ulceration and rarely superinfection. Mild fever Vomiting Note, in mild cases, the child will fully recover in about 8-10 days. In severe cases, if the child has a high fever and vomits many times, there is a risk of neurological, cardiovascular and respiratory complications. These complications usually appear from 2 to 5 days of illness. If not detected and treated promptly, it can cause death.

Proper care of hand, foot and mouth disease will help children avoid dangerous complications.
For children with mild hand, foot and mouth disease, ie only blisters and mouth ulcers, parents can take care of themselves and monitor treatment at home. You can follow these steps:
Feed your child easily digestible foods and drink plenty of cool water. Do not let children suck on plastic nipples, eat hard foods, especially foods and drinks with a sour or spicy taste. Only give your child paracetamol to reduce fever and pain. The rest of the drugs, if used, must be prescribed by a doctor. Add enough water for the baby if the baby has a high fever and is dehydrated. Clean the mouth of children with hand, foot and mouth disease with an antiseptic solution. In open wounds on the skin left by scalds, antiseptic solutions should be used to avoid superinfection. Have the child gargle with physiological saline if he can. Isolating sick children from uninfected children, adults when taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease should also wear masks and wash their hands with soap to disinfect, to avoid spreading to other children. Clothes, diapers or items of sick children should be soaked in an antiseptic solution such as chloramine B 2%. Or can be boiled over boiling water and used separately for each child. When taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease, it is necessary to bathe and gently clean the baby daily with clean water to avoid infection. Closely monitor the baby's condition so that when there are abnormal signs, they can react promptly. Note: Hand, foot and mouth disease in children is most contagious during the first week of illness, and the virus that causes the disease can persist in feces for several months. Therefore, when taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease, it is necessary to pay attention to this to take measures to prevent the transmission of the disease to other children.
When you see a child with symptoms such as high fever lasting for 48 hours or more, fussing, vomiting many times, lethargy, shaking hands and feet, most startled when the child is awake, rapid breathing, rapid pulse, unsteady walking stumbling - warning signs of dangerous complications, need to take the baby to the hospital immediately for timely treatment, to avoid unfortunate consequences.

There is currently no vaccine for hand, foot and mouth disease. Therefore, parents can prevent hand, foot and mouth disease for children by the following ways:
Regularly wash children's hands and feet with soap or antiseptic solution, especially before and after eating and going to the toilet. . Parents need to wear a mask, practice personal hygiene, and wash their hands with soap before and after taking care of the baby. Especially when changing clothes, diapers, contact with feces, saliva or bed sheets. Clean items such as toys, doorknobs, handrails, floor railings. Wipe the floor with floor cleaner. If the child has unfortunately had hand, foot and mouth disease, within 10-14 days from the date of illness, it is necessary to isolate the sick children at home, not allowing them to go to kindergartens, schools or crowded places for treatment. avoid spreading. Using the toilet properly, the patient's feces or waste should be collected and treated properly, not to cause disease.
Hopefully, through this article, parents have gained more basic knowledge about the signs, how to care for and prevent hand, foot and mouth disease in children. In the process of taking care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease, if they see any signs of serious illness, parents should take the child to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Master. Doctor Ngo Thi Oanh has over 10 years working in the field of Pediatrics. Competently perform examination, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory, digestive, urological and nutritional diseases in children. During his work, Dr. Oanh regularly updates new knowledge on diagnosis and treatment through specialized conferences and continuous training classes.