Concerned that the number of cases of hand, foot and mouth disease increases

Up to now, the Central Children’s Hospital has received and treated about 125 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, an increase of 6 times compared to the same period in 2020.

Hand, foot and mouth disease in Vietnam is a gastrointestinal disease and occurs in most provinces and cities. Although the disease is encountered all year round, statistics show that the number of cases usually increases in the period from May 4-5 and from September to October each year.

Pediatric patients with hand, foot and mouth disease are being treated at the National Hospital of Pediatrics.

TS.BS. Nguyen Van Lam, Director of the Center for Clinical Medicine for Children of Tropical Diseases, Central Pediatric Hospital, said that from the beginning of the year until now, the Center has received about 125 patients, hand, foot and mouth disease.

Experts said, although no serious complications were recorded, the number of cases in 2021 had a sudden increase compared to two years ago. In the same period in 2019, the Center received about 70 cases; in 2020, this number is 19-20 cases and in 2021 it is currently 125 cases.

At Children’s Hospital City. HCM is currently receiving treatment for more than 40 patients, hand, foot, mouth and mouth at all levels. The number of children suffering from this disease is increasing day by day.

Some children have also had cardiovascular neurological complications. In particular, some children have very fast disease progresses even though the rash is only small at first.

Meanwhile, according to the Center for Disease Control City. Da Nang, from the beginning of the year to April 2021, the number of cases of hand, foot and mouth disease across the city was more than 212, an increase of 2.5 times over the same period in 2020 to 92 cases. Only in the last three weeks of March 2021, the whole city recorded 68 cases.

Nationwide, according to the infectious disease surveillance system from the beginning of 2021 to April 7, the country recorded 17,451 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, including 4 deaths in Kien Giang (2 ), An Giang (1) and Long An (1).

Compared to the same period in 2020, the number of cases increased four times and mainly in the South and local areas in some provinces and cities such as: Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang.

Because the disease spreads through the gastrointestinal tract, contact, droplets and spread from person to person. Therefore, climatic conditions, a crowded environment, and hygiene habits are factors that make the spread of the disease.

To prevent hand, foot and mouth disease, according to the representative of the National Hospital of Pediatrics, people must ensure distance, keep the habits of hand hygiene, children’s toys must be kept clean to avoid cross-contamination.

Experts also recommend that parents need to feed their children cooked foods, boiled drinks, use easily digestible foods, ensure nutrition to strengthen their children.

“Parents need to clean the body every day for the baby, when taking a bath to avoid drafts. For wounds in the throat, children must rinse their mouths according to the instructions and apply pain relievers “, the director of the Center for Clinical Medicine of Children Tropical Diseases said.

In the treatment of hand, foot, mouth and mouth Dr. Lam pointed out some mistakes of parents in monitoring and treatment.

Accordingly, when seeing that the child does not respond to fever reduction, some parents immediately increase the dose for their child. “This is a very dangerous thing that can lead to poisoning and liver damage because fever-reducing drugs must be treated with the right dose and only once every six hours”, experts of the National Hospital of Pediatrics said.

It is known that at the establishment also received cases of children not responding to antipyretic fever, parents impatiently used another dose of fever-reducing, leading to overdose, causing children with paracetamol poisoning, leading to severe liver damage. masonry.

Although the rate of children having brain damage due to hand, foot and mouth disease is not too high, if the child has severe complications due to delay in treatment, it will cause brain stem damage, leaving serious sequelae such as encephalitis, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary edema. level …

In the extreme form, the disease can cause serious illness in the child and death if it is not cared for and treated promptly. Therefore, when parents see signs of aggravation of their children, they should promptly send their children to medical facilities for prompt monitoring and treatment, to avoid unfortunate consequences.

To prevent hand, foot and mouth disease, everyone needs to practice good eating and drinking hygiene; do not feed the baby; not feeding children, sucking hands, sucking toys; Do not allow children to share napkins, handkerchiefs, and eating utensils such as cups, bowls, plates, spoons, and toys that have not yet been disinfected.

Residents need to regularly clean surfaces, daily contact tools such as toys, school supplies, door handles, stair handrails, table / chair surfaces, floors with soap or detergent. usually, common, normal. Restrict or not let your child come into contact with someone who is sick or suspected of having an illness.