How to treat the early symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease in children? Here are the information about prevention, vaccines and care

Recently, mothers around me are discussing one thing: Should I get the hand, foot and mouth vaccine? Every year during the peak period of hand, foot and mouth disease, major media reports on the serious harm and even fatal cases of this disease are indeed scary! Even if it is only a mild form of hand, foot and mouth disease, parents are heartbroken when their children cry and are unable to eat due to ruptured herpes in their mouths. I hope this article can provide some help and reference for parents. Let’s stay vigilant, be prepared, and take active action together! By the way, at the end of the article, I found a TED popular science animation about the process of illness for children, which is worth showing. It’s April, and it’s getting hotter day by day, and it’s about to enter a period of high incidence of hand, foot and mouth disease. According to the pattern of previous years, in March each year, the epidemic situation of hand, foot and mouth disease begins to show an upward trend: the number of hand, foot and mouth disease in Beijing increased by 217.86% compared with the previous month; the number of reported incidences of hand, foot and mouth disease in Zhejiang Province also increased by 137%, and experts predict that in 2018, The overall epidemic intensity of hand, foot and mouth disease will be higher than that in 2017…The first peak of hand, foot and mouth disease will be ushered in from April to July. The official website of the National Health and Family Planning Commission has recently listed hand, foot and mouth disease prevention and control information at the top of the hot spots. . Last year\’s hand, foot and mouth epidemic is still fresh in our minds. Kindergartens in many places were affected one after another and even had to suspend classes. Although hand, foot and mouth disease is not a serious disease and usually recovers on its own, the risk of infection is high during this season. Children will inevitably suffer from the disease, and serious cases can lead to death. We really cannot take it lightly. What is foot and mouth disease? Hand, foot and mouth disease has ranked first in the monthly average number of notifiable infectious diseases in China in the past ten years. Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common acute infectious disease caused by a variety of enteroviruses. It can occur throughout the year, but mainly in summer and autumn. The most common people are children under 5 years old, with the highest incidence rate among children under 3 years old. This disease is extremely contagious and is mainly spread through the digestive tract, respiratory tract and close contact, that is, \”the disease enters through the mouth.\” Regardless of whether the baby has had hand, foot and mouth disease before, if the baby is within the above age range, is attending kindergarten, or has been to crowded places, parents should pay special attention! What are the early symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease in children? After the hand, foot and mouth disease virus invades the human body, there is usually an incubation period of 2-5 days before symptoms appear. Why do we think this disease is so scary? There are two main reasons. First, the initial stage of hand, foot and mouth disease is no different from ordinary fever or upper respiratory tract infection, and it is easy to be misdiagnosed. Sometimes, it is not discovered until herpes appears on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or oral mucosa. Second, a small number of patients are seriously ill and can be complicated by encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, nervous system infection, etc. If not treated in time, it can be life-threatening. My parents panicked when they heard that it might lead to death. In fact, the vast majority of patients with hand, foot and mouth suffer from mild symptoms rather than severe symptoms. ★Mild hand, foot and mouth disease Children with mild hand, foot and mouth disease will have symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, anorexia, and gastrointestinal discomfort. A rash will appear 1 to 2 days after fever. Typically, red rashes and vesicle-like lesions will appear on the mucous membranes and skin of the mouth, hands, feet and other parts of the body. The course of the disease usually lasts 5 to 7 days. ★Severe hand, foot and mouth disease if it has been clearly diagnosed as hand, foot and mouth diseaseIf a child, when he is about to fall asleep, repeatedly undergoes sudden systemic muscle contractions that resemble being frightened (an early indicator of nervous system involvement), parents should be alert to whether they are infected with a type that is more severe in the hands, feet, and mouth! Severe hand, foot and mouth disease may also cause symptoms such as drowsiness, unconsciousness, low energy, weakness in hands and feet, persistent vomiting, shortness of breath or rapid heartbeat. Many children\’s condition suddenly worsens after 3 to 5 days of fever and rapidly develops into acute cardiopulmonary failure. exhaustion. If not treated promptly, most children will die within 24 hours of admission. Even if you survive, there can be sequelae. The media has previously reported that a 7-month-old baby in Shandong was admitted to the emergency room at 10 a.m. and died at 8:23 p.m. after resuscitation failed. In addition to the possibility of being ignored by parents and delaying the condition, the main reason is that the baby is seriously infected with hand, foot and mouth. Another point to note is that the herpes of hand, foot and mouth disease is not limited to the three parts of the hands, feet and mouth. Many atypical forms of herpes appear on other parts of the body, such as the forearms, buttocks, and even toenails, and have different shapes. For example, the picture below: ★Herpetic Angina When talking about hand, foot and mouth, we have to mention its \”close relative\” – ​​herpetic angina. Herpangina has a nickname: \”Invisible Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease\”. The culprits of both diseases are enteroviruses and may be caused by the same virus. Not only do they spread through the same route, but they often break out at the same time. The main difference between them is that herpangina only causes red rashes or ulcers in the back of the mouth, while hand, foot and mouth can cause herpes not only in the mouth, but also on the hands, feet, buttocks, and even the whole body. The symptoms and effects of herpangina are often less serious than those of hand, foot and mouth disease, and it is not included as a notifiable infectious disease in my country. However, many studies have proven that herpangina has a certain probability of developing into hand, foot and mouth disease. How to care for infected hands, feet and mouth? It is recommended that mothers do not judge the severity of hand, foot and mouth problems by themselves, but leave it to a doctor to make a professional judgment. No matter the severity, they should seek medical advice as soon as possible. There is no specific medicine for hand, foot and mouth (including herpangina), and there is no need to take antibiotics, Chinese patent medicines, or so-called antiviral drugs. What children need more is the careful care and companionship of their parents. Generally, hand, foot and mouth disease only requires symptomatic treatment. You can use antipyretics under the guidance of a doctor, and strengthen care at home. It will heal on its own in 1-2 weeks without leaving any sequelae or scars on the skin. ★Pain Relief and Fever Reduction Herpes in the mouth can cause the baby to be in pain and refuse to eat. Mothers can relieve discomfort by feeding their babies some warm liquids or softer foods that do not require chewing, such as ice milk, ice cream, and mild juices. If there are many oral herpes and the baby is completely unable to swallow, you can use some pain-relieving mouthwash under the guidance of a doctor before eating to relieve the pain of herpes. Fever caused by hand, foot and mouth disease usually lasts 2-3 days. If the body temperature is higher than 38.5°C and the child shows poor mental status due to the fever, the child can be given antipyretic drugs (ibuprofen or acetaminophen). ★Disinfection and Isolation If there are still uninfected children at home, the children’s toys, tableware, etc. need to be removed in timesupplies for disinfection. However, because hand, foot and mouth disease is highly contagious, many mothers report that usually only one child in a second-child family has hand, foot and mouth disease, which means that both children will be infected in turn. Therefore, if there are many children in the family, once one is infected, the other must find a way to isolate them in all aspects. In addition, adults must wash their hands with soap or hand sanitizer after coming into contact with children, especially excrement. Viruses in the stool may remain infectious for several weeks. Many parents think that hand, foot and mouth disease is only a childhood disease, but in fact, adults may also be infected! The course of hand, foot and mouth disease is generally about 1 week, but the isolation time should be 2 weeks. Do not go to school as soon as the fever subsides or the rash subsides. As long as everyone adheres to the principle of being responsible for themselves and other people\’s children, the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease can be better controlled. ★Skin Care If you have herpes on your hands or feet, you should keep the area clean and exposed. Gently wash skin with warm water and soap and pat dry. Trim your child\’s nails frequently and don\’t scratch herpes. If the blisters burst, povidone-iodine solution can be applied locally for disinfection. The clothes worn by the child should be as loose and soft as possible to avoid rubbing the rash and causing discomfort, and should be changed frequently. Oral ulcers and herpes can make children very painful and very irritable. In order for the baby to recover as soon as possible, it doesn\’t matter if we act as \”punching bags\” for a few days. Injectable vaccines are the most effective, but not completely safe. The viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease belong to the enterovirus genus of the family Picornaviridae, including types 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 16 of coxsackievirus group A. Group B types 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., enterovirus type 71 (EV71), echovirus, etc. Schematic diagram of enterovirus EV-A71 According to statistics, 82% of severe cases of hand, foot and mouth disease and 93% of fatal cases are caused by enterovirus 71. The vaccine that has been successfully developed and put on the market in my country is the enterovirus EV71 vaccine. But hand, foot and mouth disease is very difficult to completely immunize against. Even if a child is vaccinated against EV71, if he or she is infected with another type of virus, he or she will still be defenseless (that is, he only gains immunity against that type of virus after being vaccinated) and needs to use his own immunity to fight the virus. . Even so, the EV71 vaccine is a very effective means of prevention. After all, other viruses cause mostly mild forms of hand, foot and mouth disease, which do not have particularly serious consequences. Being vaccinated is equivalent to reducing the risk of severe hand, foot and mouth disease, thereby reducing the risk of death from the disease. In addition, since the viruses that cause hand, foot, and mouth and herpetic angina are very similar, and some are even the same, vaccination with the EV71 vaccine can also prevent herpetic angina. Children over 6 months old and under 5 years old can be vaccinated, and a total of two shots are required. The EV71 vaccine is a self-paid vaccine. Mothers can consult the community health center in their area for specific vaccination and charging methods. Generally speaking, if children are vaccinated with EV71 twice, the neutralizing antibody level and clinical protective efficacy can still be maintained at a relatively ideal level two years after vaccination. If the child has had hand, foot and mouth disease, but it is not the EV71 virus, he can also receive a supplementary dose. dailyPrevention is the key. In addition to vaccination, morning check-up in kindergarten is a good prevention method. There are also things that are easy for us parents to control: During the season when diseases are high, the whole family should wash their hands frequently and take less children to indoor crowded places. The larger the crowd, the more viruses there are. Here we will tell you about the \”high-risk entertainment projects\” that are most likely to infect hand, foot and mouth. The first is the \”artifact for baby walking\” – the ocean ball pool. When holidays come, the ball pool in the playground is basically a \”dumpling dumpling\”, and the babies \”white socks go in and black socks come out.\” The media has exposed that the floors of many ocean ball pools are littered with hairpins, building blocks and other small objects that can easily injure people. They are only cleaned once a week or two, and the cleaning method is simply spraying them with disinfectant. There is a natural risk of transmitting hand, foot and mouth disease to ocean balls that are not disinfected. Therefore, it is really not recommended to take children to this kind of ocean ball pool, especially during the high incidence of infectious diseases. By purchasing ocean balls of reliable quality online, your baby can have fun and play with confidence at home. Secondly, there are rocking cars all over the streets and alleys. For a dollar or two, your baby can rock in it for a few minutes. This cheap equipment requires very little maintenance, let alone disinfection. If a baby with hand, foot and mouth disease rides on it, there may be cross-infection when other babies use it again. A dentist friend said that she rarely lets her children sit in a stroller. If the child has to sit, then you can only use a few extra disinfectant wipes. Wipe the car first, and then clean his little hands in time after the child has finished playing. Finally, I would like to say, never keep your children at home because of hand, foot and mouth disease. In spring, when the air is circulated and the sun is shining outdoors, it is safe for children to play no matter how they play. Moreover, children who strengthen their immunity and have a strong body can better resist virus invasion!