How to disinfect hand, foot, and mouth disease?

Written by Li Jiao Yan
Neonatology
Updated on September 03, 2024
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Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an acute infectious disease caused by a viral infection. It mainly spreads through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and close contact. Being in contact with a carrier or a child with the disease can result in transmission. It is important to properly handle the infected child's feces and other excretions. Clothes can be soaked in a 3% bleach solution and exposed to sunlight. Keep the room well-ventilated. Other contaminated daily items, such as toys or closely contacted objects like dishware and children's eating utensils, should be disinfected promptly.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan
Neonatology
43sec home-news-image

How to disinfect hand, foot, and mouth disease?

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an acute infectious disease caused by a viral infection. It mainly spreads through the respiratory tract, digestive tract, and close contact. Being in contact with a carrier or a child with the disease can result in transmission. It is important to properly handle the infected child's feces and other excretions. Clothes can be soaked in a 3% bleach solution and exposed to sunlight. Keep the room well-ventilated. Other contaminated daily items, such as toys or closely contacted objects like dishware and children's eating utensils, should be disinfected promptly.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
1min 4sec home-news-image

Is hand, foot and mouth disease itchy?

Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by enteroviruses. There are more than 20 types of enteroviruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease, among which Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus 71 are the most common. Its main clinical symptoms include mouth pain, decreased appetite, mild fever, and the appearance of small vesicles or small ulcers on the hands, feet, mouth, and other areas. Most infected children can recover in about a week. The rash of hand, foot and mouth disease typically appears on the hands, feet, buttocks, arms, and legs as maculopapular rash, which can later turn into vesicles. These vesicles are surrounded by an inflammatory red halo and contain relatively little fluid. The rash is not itchy. Thus, the rash of hand, foot and mouth disease is unlike other allergic rashes; it does not cause itching or discomfort.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a disease caused by enterovirus that results in sores on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks, accompanied by symptoms such as fever. It is generally caused by Enterovirus 71 or Coxsackievirus A16. Most cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease are typical and may involve fever, low fever, or no fever at all. However, common symptoms include sores in the mouth and on the pharynx, as well as on the hands, feet, and buttocks. The general course of the disease lasts five to seven days, but severe cases may last longer. Severe cases may present with symptoms such as listlessness, irritability, vomiting, and trembling limbs. More serious conditions can include microcirculatory disorders, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, neurogenic edema, and bleeding, among others.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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Late-stage symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an acute infectious disease caused by enterovirus infection. Generally, there are more than twenty types of enteroviruses that cause hand, foot, and mouth disease, but the most common are Coxsackie virus A16 and enterovirus 71. The initial symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease are blisters in the hands, feet, and mouth; some cases include fever, while others do not. In later stages, the disease may exhibit recurring fevers, and the blisters on the mouth, hands, feet, and buttocks may burst and crust over. After crusting, the blisters gradually heal, but in some cases, the disease can progress to severe cases. For instance, complications such as encephalitis, brainstem encephalitis, myocarditis can occur, and some cases may develop neurogenic pulmonary edema, pulmonary hemorrhage, and circulatory failure, among others. However, such severe cases are generally rare.

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
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Hand, foot, and mouth disease transmission routes

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is caused by an intestinal virus infection, characterized by a rash of scattered maculopapular and vesicular lesions on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks. Generally, the prognosis is good. The disease is quite contagious, primarily spreading through the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, and close contact. Therefore, during peak seasons of hand, foot, and mouth disease, children should stay at home and avoid crowded places and playing with children who have the disease. The highest incidence of this disease is among children under three years old, so it is essential to pay attention to the prevention and health care of infants. If a child in kindergarten is found to have the disease, they should rest at home and not return to the kindergarten immediately.