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 Feng Hai Tao

Pediatrics

1min 43sec

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Symptoms of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease in Children

The symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease in children primarily result from viral infections of the intestine, a common communicable disease particularly prevalent among children under five, especially those under three years of age. The symptoms can be categorized into typical cases where most children experience a sudden onset of illness, often accompanied by upper respiratory tract infection symptoms such as fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. Some may also experience headaches. Additionally, rashes or vesicles may appear on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks, typically surrounded by inflammatory red skin with little fluid inside the vesicles. These lesions are characterized by being painless, non-itchy, non-crusted, and non-scarring. It is important to note that not all children will have simultaneous rashes on their hands, feet, and mouth areas. In severe cases, while most children experience only mild symptoms and can be isolated at home, some may develop complications involving the nervous system and impairment of respiratory and circulatory functions. This can manifest as muscle spasms, encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis, cardiopulmonary failure, and neurogenic pulmonary edema. Therefore, once a severe case is identified, hospitalization is recommended to prevent potential fatalities or long-term sequelae.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang

Pediatrics

41sec

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Is hand, foot, and mouth disease contagious?

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious disease caused by an infection of enteroviruses. There are more than 20 types of enteroviruses that cause the disease, with Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus 71 being the most common. The main clinical manifestations of this disease include blisters on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks. Some patients may experience fever, while others may have no fever or only a mild fever. The disease is contagious and primarily transmitted through contact. For example, it can be spread through saliva, droplets, hand-to-mouth contact, and contact with the secretions from the blisters, among other methods.

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Written by Yao Li Qin

Pediatrics

51sec

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Causes of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a rash illness characterized by scattered papules and vesicles on the hands, feet, mouth, and buttocks, caused by an enterovirus infection. It is a contagious disease caused by a viral infection, specifically by Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus 71, which are part of the enterovirus group. Other Coxsackie enteroviruses can also cause hand, foot, and mouth disease. Common enterovirus infections can also lead to hand, foot, and mouth disease. This means that children who have had hand, foot, and mouth disease can potentially get it again, and this is important knowledge for everyone to understand.

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Written by Yao Li Qin

Pediatrics

1min 17sec

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Characteristics of hand, foot, and mouth disease rash

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a rash disease caused by an intestinal virus infection, characterized by scattered maculopapular and vesicular rashes on the hands, feet, buttocks, and other areas. Typically, small vesicles appear on the oral mucosa, or they may already have ruptured into shallow ulcers, primarily located on the tongue, buccal mucosa, palate, and inner lips. Subsequently, rashes appear on the hands and feet, most commonly as maculopapules, which then develop into vesiculopapules about three to seven millimeters in size. The vesicles have a relatively thick covering and are surrounded by reddened skin, predominantly located at the extremities. Sometimes, they may extend to the arms, legs, buttocks, or perineal area. The distribution of the rash is centrifugal, with the number of lesions varying from a few to dozens. Generally, the lesions absorb on their own within two to three days without desquamation, scarring, or pigmentation. The vesicles and ulcers in the mouth mostly heal on their own within a week.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang

Pediatrics

44sec

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Hand, foot, and mouth disease is spread through:

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by enteroviruses. There are more than 20 types of enteroviruses that can cause the disease, among which Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus 71 are the most common. It frequently occurs in children under the age of 5 and manifests as mouth pain, loss of appetite, low fever, and small blisters or ulcers on the hands, feet, and mouth. Most affected children can recover within about a week. The main routes of transmission for hand, foot, and mouth disease can include the gastrointestinal tract, as well as respiratory transmission, and close contact such as through saliva, cough droplets, etc. Sharing utensils can also spread the disease.