A doctor examines a child with hand, foot and mouth disease in HCM City’s Children Hospital No 1 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Health has asked people across the country
to take protective measures against hand, foot, and mouth disease after data
from the ministry’s General Department of Preventive Medicine showed that over
2,100 people had contracted the disease in 57 localities this year.
Nonetheless,
the total number of cases is still 38.6 percent lower than in the same period
last year. Most of the cases were recorded in the south, the department said.
In HCM City, more than 30 people fell ill during the Tet (Lunar
New Year) holidays.
In
Hanoi, Nguyen Thien Hai, deputy head of the Vietnam National Hospital of
Pediatrics’ Department, told the Voice of Vietnam (VoV)
online newspaper that the hospital was treating several children with hand,
foot, and mouth disease.
The
head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine, Tran Dac Phu, said the
disease was easily spread, especially in wet weather, and parents and teachers
should keep children away from those who have contracted it to prevent it
spreading in schools.
The
disease typically peaks between March and May, Phu said.
Hand,
foot, and mouth disease is a common viral illness that usually affects infants
and children younger than five. However, it can sometimes occur in older children
and adults. There is no vaccine to protect against the virus.
The
ministry issued recommendations on how to prevent children from getting the
disease: Wash children’s hands often with soap and water, especially after
changing diapers and using the toilet; give children cooked food and boiled
water; clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and soiled items,
including toys; don’t let children have contact with people suspected of having
or infected with the disease; collect and dump patients’ waste in sanitary
latrine; take your children to the nearest health clinic if symptoms occur.
In
response to the recommendations, schools, especially primary schools in HCM
City and Hanoi, sprayed Chloramine B to disinfect classrooms, kitchens and
toys, as well as washing hands with soap and water.
Nguyen
Hoa Binh, 32, of Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan district, said last year, her two-year-old
daughter got the disease and she had to take her daughter to hospital for
treatment.
This
year, after hearing warnings from the ministry about the disease, Binh washed
her daughter’s hands with soap and water and gave her salt-water mouth rinse
several times every day, she said.
Hand,
foot, and mouth disease is caused by viruses that belong to the Enterovirus
genus (group), including polioviruses, coxsackieviruses, echoviruses, and
enteroviruses.
The
disease usually starts with a fever, reduced appetite, sore throat, and a sense
of malaise. One or two days after the fever starts, painful sores can develop
in the mouth. A skin rash with red spots, and sometimes with blisters may also
develop over one or two days on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet;
it may also appear on the knees, elbows, buttocks or genital area.
According
to medical experts, parents should take their children home once symptoms occur
and treat children’s waste by using Chloramine B for disinfection. They should
wear masks and gloves to avoid contact with the waste, doctors said.
If
children show symptoms such as high fever, vomiting or convulsions, parents
should quickly take them to hospital for treatment to avoid dangerous
complications. -VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
