Attention, moms! Summer is the peak season for hand, foot, and mouth disease in children. It's important to learn how to prevent it. Below, we provide several methods for preventing hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children
1. Fever. Children, being the main victims of hand, foot, and mouth disease, have an immature immune system. After being infected with the virus, they will first experience fever, with a temperature generally staying below 39 degrees Celsius. The fever will usually subside after three days.
2. Mouth blisters and ulcers. Along with or one to two days after the fever, children will develop small, painful blisters in the mouth, which will then rupture and form ulcers. It is recommended to consume light, easily digestible liquid foods.
3. Rashes and blisters on the hands and feet. After one to two days of the mouth blisters, rashes will appear on the palms and soles. After about five days, the rashes will evolve from red to dark and turn into blisters with small amounts of fluid inside. They are neither itchy nor painful, do not scab, and do not leave scars. In some cases, rashes may also appear around the buttocks and anus, gradually fading after a few days.
4. Some children may have mild or no obvious symptoms and can recover on their own. A small number of children with hand, foot, and mouth disease may have mild symptoms, such as vesicular pharyngitis or rashes. They can recover within 5 to 10 days of rest at home.
5. Sudden onset, distinguishable from other skin diseases. The characteristic rashes of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children generally do not appear on the face, neck, or trunk, distinguishing it from chickenpox, which usually appears on the trunk of children. The incubation period of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children is 2 to 6 days, with preceding symptoms such as low-grade fever, general discomfort, and abdominal pain. The majority of children experience a sudden onset of symptoms.
6. Most cases have a favorable course and can recover within about a week. Hand, foot, and mouth disease in children has a certain degree of self-healing ability, and most cases are mild. However, parents should closely monitor their child's condition, as a small number of severe cases can lead to complications such as myocarditis, encephalitis, and pneumonia.
Prevention of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children
1. During the epidemic of hand, foot, and mouth disease, avoid taking children to crowded places with poor air circulation. Pay attention to maintaining household hygiene and frequently ventilate the living environment. Also, regularly sun-dry clothes and bedding.
2. In daily life, make sure children wash their hands with soap or hand sanitizer before meals and after going out. Do not let children drink untreated water or eat raw and cold food. Avoid contact with infected children.
3. Thoroughly clean the bottles and pacifiers used by infants and young children before and after use. This can effectively prevent hand, foot, and mouth disease.
4. Seek medical attention promptly if children experience related symptoms.
5. Caregivers should wash their hands before coming into contact with children, when changing diapers, and after handling feces. Properly dispose of waste. These actions can also help effectively prevent hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for hand, foot, and mouth disease in children
1. Children with constitution leaning towards deficiency
Shanyao Huangqi Tang: Boil 15-20 grams of raw astragalus in water, then add Chinese yam, lean meat, and other ingredients to the soup.
2. Children with constitution leaning towards heat
Green bean and red date soup: Boil 30-40 grams of green beans and 10 red dates together. This soup can be consumed as a snack.
White adzuki bean soup: Boil an appropriate amount of white adzuki beans in water and drink it as boiling water.
3. Mild cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease
(For example, for a 3-year-old child. For children of other age groups, adjust the ingredients under the guidance of a physician): 10 grams of honeysuckle, 10 grams of forsythia, 5 grams of schizonepeta, 5 grams of saposhnikovia divaricata, 6 grams of isatis root, 10 grams of platycodon grandiflorus, 5 grams of licorice, 10 grams of three-leaf greenbrier, 3 grams of cicada slough, 10 grams of lichen.
