Question
A child has been suffering from hand, foot, and mouth disease for five days now. In the initial stages, there were small blisters on the throat, hands, feet, and anal area, along with a fever of 37.8 degrees. In recent days, other symptoms have not worsened, but the high fever has occurred repeatedly. Should the child be hospitalized in this situation?
Answer
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is an infection caused by a virus and typically lasts for about seven days during which temperature fluctuations around 38 degrees are normal. It is recommended to provide the child with adequate fluids and take physical cooling measures. If the temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees but the child is in good spirits, there is no need to immediately use fever-reducing medication. Continue to observe and strengthen physical cooling and fluid supplementation. If the child has difficulty lowering the temperature or is in poor spirits, it is important to seek medical attention promptly to prevent complications such as encephalitis due to prolonged high fever. The fever caused by viral infection may occur repeatedly, at which point a routine blood test can be conducted to confirm the diagnosis.