Treatment and prevention of hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) mainly occurs in children under 5 years old. It is a common infectious disease in children caused by enterovirus infection. Enterovirus is a small RNA virus. There are many pathogenic serotypes that cause hand, foot and mouth disease, among which Coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) and enterovirus 71 (EV-A71) are the most common.

Clinical manifestations:

Clinical manifestations include maculopapular rash and herpes on the hands, feet, mouth, etc., accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, anorexia, and fatigue. Some children only show rash or herpetic pharyngitis during this period, and some cases may not have rash. If the disease progresses further, it may affect the nerves and cardiopulmonary function; severe cases may even lead to death.

Incubation period of hand, foot and mouth disease:

The incubation period is usually 2 to 10 days, with an average of 3 to 5 days.

Sources of infection and routes of transmission:

Main sources of infection: children with hand, foot and mouth disease and latently infected persons

Main transmission route: Infection caused by close contact with hands, towels, toys, eating utensils, milk utensils, bedding, underwear, etc. contaminated by the virus;

It can also be spread through respiratory droplets;

Infection is caused by drinking water or food contaminated by the virus.

treat:

Because the virus causing hand, foot and mouth disease is enterovirus, there is no specific anti-enterovirus drug. Early use of interferon α spray or atomization, ribavirin intravenous drip can have a certain effect; acyclovir, ganciclovir, adenosine monophosphate and other drugs are not recommended. If the child has a high fever (body temperature over 38.5℃), physical cooling or antipyretic can be used

Drug treatment. Commonly used antipyretic drugs include: oral ibuprofen, 5-10 mg/(kg·time); oral acetaminophen, 10-15 mg/(kg·time); the shortest interval between two doses is 6 hours.

prevention:

Maintain good personal hygiene habits and wash hands frequently;

Do not drink raw water or eat raw or cold food;

Avoid contact with other children with hand, foot and mouth disease.

Vaccinations:

EV-A71 inactivated vaccine can be used to prevent hand, foot and mouth disease caused by EV-A71 infection in children aged 6 months to 5 years. The basic immunization program is 2 doses, with an interval of 1 month. It is encouraged to complete the vaccination before 12 months of age.

References:

[1] National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China. Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of hand, foot and mouth disease (2018 edition) [J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2018(3).

[2] Jiang Rongmeng, Deng Huiling, Li Xingwang, et al. Interpretation of the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease (2018 Edition)" - General treatment and etiological treatment of hand, foot and mouth disease [J]. Infectious Disease Information, 2018(5).