Question
My child recently developed cold symptoms, initially with a sore throat. After taking anti-inflammatory medication, however, they developed a high fever. Upon hospital examination, it was found that there were many blisters in the throat, and blisters also appeared on the child’s hands, feet, and buttocks. The diagnosis was hand, foot, and mouth disease. Is hand, foot, and mouth disease easy to treat, and what is its severity?
Answer
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an infection caused by a virus, often related to poor personal hygiene. Once diagnosed, treatment should be administered under a doctor’s guidance with antiviral medications, with intravenous injections for severe cases. The typical course of the disease lasts about one week to ten days. If there are no complications such as encephalitis or pneumonia, most patients recover well. It is recommended that families with the means to do so can receive the hand, foot, and mouth disease vaccine at the hospital and pay attention to personal hygiene at home care, such as frequent hand washing, bathing, changing clothes, avoiding cold and raw foods, and eating a light diet.