Question
Last year, a hand, foot, and mouth disease outbreak occurred in a kindergarten, affecting many children, including my baby. Fortunately, the symptoms were mild, and the child recovered quickly. Now, there are multiple cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease in our village again, which worries me about whether my baby will get infected again. Will a baby who has had hand, foot, and mouth disease still get infected again?
Answer
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is primarily transmitted through droplets and respiratory secretions. Even if a child has had hand, foot, and mouth disease before, there is still a risk of re-infection if isolation measures are not observed. It is recommended that you try to keep your child away from children who have hand, foot, and mouth disease. Wash your child’s hands and feet with soap and water daily, encourage them to drink plenty of water, and consider giving them oral antiviral medication to prevent infection. Keeping the indoor air circulating is also one of the preventive measures.