Hand, foot and mouth disease is an explosive infectious disease, which is mainly caused by coxsackie virus. This coxsackie virus is very common in animals. However, it is usually transmitted through the intestine. If you eat water and food contaminated by animal feces, it will cause hand, foot and mouth disease.
What is hand, foot and mouth disease?
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is an acute infectious disease, which is common in infants under five years old. The main cause of disease is various viruses in the intestine. Because the high incidence of the disease is at the turn of summer and autumn, babies who enter the park in September every year may have a large-scale outbreak, so parents need to pay special attention.
The vast majority of infected babies will recover within 1-2 weeks. Parents need not worry too much, but it does not rule out that very few babies will have more dangerous situations, such as meningitis, myocarditis and other complications, and even lead to death.
In fact, hand, foot and mouth disease is not unique to children, and people of any age may be attacked by the virus. However, due to the strong resistance of adults, and most people have obtained the corresponding antibodies during invisible infection, few adults will show the symptoms of overt infection (the probability of covert infection of hand, foot and mouth disease is about 100 times that of overt infection). The incidence rate of children is higher, especially children under three years old.
Symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease
The incubation period of hand, foot and mouth disease is generally about 2- 10 days. At first, the external manifestations are similar to those of the common cold, but with the continuous development of the disease, some specific characteristics will appear.
General case symptoms
As the name implies, the most obvious symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease have appeared. These three affected areas will have herpes similar to the size and color of rice grains, and children can feel pain. Some children may have longer buttocks or anus.
Children are also accompanied by signs such as low-grade fever (about 38℃) and rash, but they are usually not serious. They will recover naturally within 1-2 weeks without sequelae. Persistent low-grade fever may make your baby feel loss of appetite, dizziness, headache, etc. Symptoms of cough and runny nose do not appear from time to time.
Symptoms of severe cases
Very few children with hand, foot and mouth disease will have respiratory, neurological or circulatory complications, among which meningitis, encephalomyelitis, myocarditis, pulmonary edema and circulatory failure are more serious.
The manifestations of respiratory problems are very obvious. The baby's lung function becomes worse, breathing becomes urgent or difficult, and symptoms similar to suffocation may appear, and in severe cases, foaming at the mouth or blood foam.
Babies whose nervous system is affected will become inattentive, nauseous and sleepy. And some uncontrollable physical reactions, such as limb twitching and weakness, may cause severe brain edema and cerebral hernia.
Although the abnormal performance of circulatory system is not obvious, we should pay enough attention to it. When the baby's limbs are found to be cold, pale, and the heartbeat is disordered, it should be sent to the hospital for treatment in time.
Although there are few severe cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, since it is possible, we should prevent it. If the baby is infected with the virus, mothers must not relax their vigilance. They should always observe the situation of their children. If there is any abnormality, it should be sent to the hospital for treatment in time.
Transmission route of hand, foot and mouth disease
Similar to most infectious diseases, hand, foot and mouth disease is mainly transmitted through the following channels:
1. Diet communication
The pathogenic cause of hand, foot and mouth disease is the virus in the intestine, so dietary transmission is one of the main modes of transmission. Contaminated water, unsanitary or expired food may spread bacteria and lead to infection in infants.
2. Droplet diffusion
Children's droplets may contain viruses and some throat secretions. When several babies talk together, the virus may spread unconsciously.
3. Contact transmission
Children's toys, used tableware, towels, quilts, underwear, etc. May be contaminated by bacteria. Healthy babies may be exposed to these things, and the virus spreads faster in places where babies are too dense, such as kindergartens and training classes. Teachers and parents should pay special attention.
Popular way:
The outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease has no characteristics in space and no region, but it is also possible in four seasons in time, but it is more frequent in the alternating stage of summer and autumn. However, the disease may spread or break out, and the spread speed is very fast, which can cause a large area of infection in a short time.
Nursing care of children with hand, foot and mouth disease
1. Children's daily necessities should be disinfected, especially those related to eating. There are also some places you often contact.
As long as the baby doesn't have a fever, you can do outdoor activities. Sunny and fresh air places are very suitable for sick children to relax, but try not to go to crowded or unventilated places to avoid cross-infection or bring the virus to others.
3. Always keep normal saline. Rinse the baby before and after eating. If the baby is too young to gargle, gently wipe the affected area with a medical cotton swab dipped in normal saline. When preparing food for children, we should also pay attention to avoiding spicy, cold, indigestible and chewy food, and should focus on light and delicious food so as not to stimulate the affected area.
4. If there is more than one child at home, be sure to separate the child from the healthy baby.
The air in the house should be kept circulating. Don't invite others to be guests at home during the child's illness, and the father should try not to smoke at home to prevent air pollution.
6. Don't wrap the baby's clothes too tightly. Close-fitting clothes must be soft and comfortable, frequently changed, and then exposed to the sun. The same is true for mattresses and bedding.
7. The baby's feces should be handled in time, especially the poop left on the buttocks should be cleaned up to keep the buttocks clean and hygienic.
8. If the child's rash induces a new infection, you can apply a little 1% nail violet.
How to prevent hand, foot and mouth disease
In kindergarten
1. Supervise the personal hygiene of each baby. Teachers should supervise each baby to wash their hands before and after meals, often help the baby bask in the quilt, and remind parents to change sheets and bedding in time.
2. Ensure the baby's food safety. Every meal in kindergarten should be clean and hygienic, and the food should be well controlled. Don't let the baby touch unclean or contaminated food.
3. Check the children who have just arrived in kindergarten every morning to see if there are herpes similar to rice grains on their hands and mouths, and then touch their little heads and have a fever (you can also use an electronic thermometer). Finally, talk to your mother about whether there is anything unusual about your child at home.
4. Disinfect toys, tableware, etc. Often in kindergarten, there are doorknobs, table edges and other places where babies often contact.
5. Regularly organize personnel to carry out indoor sanitation and spray disinfection water, especially toilets. Wear protective clothing when cleaning to avoid being infected by bacteria at work.
6. Once the teacher finds a suspected case, he should immediately isolate the baby and contact the parents to send it to the hospital quickly to avoid explosive infection of other healthy children.
at home
1. Personal hygiene is equally important. It is necessary to cut your nails and wash your hands frequently. Don't ignore these details just because your home is much cleaner than the outside. In fact, there are many bacteria and viruses in remote control, trash can, door handle and other places.
2. Always keep a good environment at home. The endogenous dead angles in the hardest hit areas of family health such as kitchens and bathrooms should be cleaned up, sheets and mats should be washed frequently, and windows should be opened for ventilation and fresh air.
3. Ensure that the baby has enough sleep time, don't make the baby too tired, and develop healthy work and rest habits, which can improve the child's physique, enhance immunity and help resist virus invasion.
4. Don't let the baby eat raw food or boiled water.
5. Whether vitamin B can prevent hand, foot and mouth disease, there is no authoritative conclusion at present, but proper supplementation is beneficial to prevent oral inflammation. Please consult a doctor before deciding how to take it.
6. Wear a mask for your baby when going out during the epidemic period of hand, foot and mouth disease.
How should parents protect themselves?
As far as the prevention of hand, foot and mouth disease is concerned, the general direction of adults and children is similar. Although few adults get hand, foot and mouth disease, it does not rule out that this disease has a familial tendency, and it is also possible that all adults and children in a family get hand, foot and mouth disease. Therefore, if there are children at home, parents should not relax their vigilance while taking care of their children, but also pay attention to their personal hygiene and food hygiene.
Pay special attention to hand, foot and mouth disease in the school season.
Reports of children infected with hand, foot and mouth disease emerge one after another every year. Summer and autumn alternate around the end of August and the beginning of September, that is, when school starts. The school is an environment with dense children and large turnover of personnel. If unsuspecting children or others bring the virus into the campus, a large-scale epidemic is likely to break out. While taking good care of children, the following two points are also worthy of parents' attention:
1. Parents should not be too nervous. Parents' panic is likely to affect children's mood, which is not conducive to the stability and recovery of the disease. Not all sick children have to be sent to hospital. If the condition is not serious, you can put your baby in a state of aggravated self-isolation and return to school after the condition is stable. If there is an emergency in isolation or the condition deteriorates, you should be sent to the hospital immediately for treatment.
2. Viruses are ever-changing, and children's resistance is relatively poor. Although they had antibodies to hand, foot and mouth disease once, it is not excluded that they will get sick again because of other pathogens. Therefore, for babies under 5 years old, preventive measures should not be relaxed at any time, especially for children who have been infected with hand, foot and mouth disease. Resistance may not return to the best state for a while, and personal hygiene should be improved.