HCMCThe last week of September, the city recorded 640 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, the highest weekly since the beginning of the year.
Doctor Truong Huu Khanh, Head of Infection – Neurology Department, Children’s Hospital 1, said three weeks ago, the number of children with hand, foot and mouth disease recorded at the hospital increased. On average, more than 30 children each day need inpatient treatment. In which, there are always two to three children with severe 2B or 3 degree severe neurological complications such as playing with, startling, rapid pulse, high blood pressure.
In the previous months, when implementing Covid-19 preventive social gap, there was a time when the hospital did not treat any hand, foot and mouth case.
“Hand, foot and mouth disease is in season, the epidemic may peak in October”, Dr. Khanh said.
According to the City Center for Disease Control (HDCD), from the beginning of the year until now, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded 6,358 cases of hand, foot, mouth and mouth, only 640 cases last week. The number of cases during the week increased in 19 counties, including 4 localities at alert level. HCDC warns of an alarming situation and needs to take preventive measures to prevent the epidemic from spreading on a large scale.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a major infectious disease caused by enterovirus enterovirus group, transmitted through the digestive tract. The disease is spread from person to person through direct contact with nasopharyngeal secretions, saliva, fluid from burns, feces, and vomit of the patient. Most contagiousness is most likely for one week after the baby has symptoms onset. However, the virus can remain in the child’s body for a few weeks.
The most contagious disease is in crowded places like kindergartens and groups of children. Now, children and students are focusing again on the new school year, when hand, foot and mouth disease can break out.
The most obvious symptom is a fever with a bullous rash on the palms of the hands and feet. When a child has one of the following signs: persistent high fever, difficulty lowering, startle, sleep or awake, shaking hands and feet, unsteady gait, persistent vomiting, sluggishness, lethargy or not contact, convulsions, pale skin, tired breathing or any other unusual signs parents are worried … must immediately bring the child to hospital.
Hand, foot and mouth disease has no vaccine to prevent. HCDC recommends that people prevent children from getting sick with three: clean food – clean living, clean hands and clean toys.
When detecting a child with signs of suspicion of the disease, it should be examined or immediately notified to the nearest medical agency. Parents take their children out of school when they are sick to limit the spread to other children.
The disease has no specific treatment, so it is mainly symptomatic treatment. Parents taking care of their children at home: keep blisters or scabs clean and avoid touching them; give them liquid food that is easy to swallow; use fever-reducing, pain-relieving medicines, and rehydrate enough for the body as directed by the doctor.
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