Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common disease in children. It is easy for young children to cause serious complications such as encephalitis. Hong Kong and Japan, which are the favorite destination of Taiwanese people, also recently outbreaks. The number of patients in Japan was 30,000 in early July, the largest number in 10 years.
There is an expanding trend in hand, foot and mouth disease in Japan. About 3,000 notified cases of pediatric medical institutions in Japan showed that there were 31,065 people with hand, foot and mouth disease, which is the largest number in 10 years.
The main epidemic areas are mostly in the central region, including Fukui Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, and Shiga Prefecture. The National Institute of Infectious Diseases of Japan (NIID) has determined that the prevalence of hand, foot and mouth disease may reach its peak within one to two weeks.
In addition, Hong Kong has also reported an outbreak since the beginning of May. It was only in the first two weeks of May that 16 kindergarten infections have occurred, ranging from 2 to 6 years old. The Centre for Health Protection of the Hong Kong Department of Health also issued a reminder on July 15, according to the latest monitoring data that the activity of hand, foot and mouth disease is at a high level.
"Hand, foot and mouth disease" occurs in children and is usually caused by enteroviruses such as coxsackievirus and enterovirus 71. Hand, foot and mouth disease caused by enterovirus 71 is receiving attention because it is more likely to cause serious complications (such as viral meningitis, encephalitis and poliomyelitis) and even death.
Symptoms of Hand, foot and mouth disease include fever, loss of appetite, fatigue and sore throat; after 1 to 2 days of fever, the mouth may grow blisters, starting with tiny red spots and slowly forming ulcers, especially tongue, teeth and the inner side of the mouth. In addition, rashes with small blisters may appear on the palms, soles and even on the buttocks.
Nowadays, there is no medicine for Hand, foot and mouth disease. Patients can only drink plenty of water and rest. The patient is most contagious in the first week of the disease, and the virus can be discharged through its feces for several weeks. Therefore, a good individual should be maintained and also environmental sanitation.
