Question

My child has small red spots on their hands and feet, suspecting hand, foot, and mouth disease. How should I handle this situation? What are the usual precautions to prevent hand, foot, and mouth disease?

Answer

To prevent hand, foot, and mouth disease, you should pay attention to the following points:

  1. Maintain personal hygiene, especially oral cleanliness. Use warm water to gargle to prevent secondary bacterial infections.
  2. Ensure good indoor ventilation and maintain appropriate temperatures.
  3. Drink plenty of water or cool drinks and eat fresh vegetables and fruits to enhance immunity.
  4. Regularly clean children’s toys and other items thoroughly to avoid bacterial growth. The hand, foot, and mouth disease virus can be transmitted through various routes, such as saliva droplets, food contaminated by virus-carrying flies, and direct contact through the nose and mouth. Therefore, if there is an ill child in the household, they should stay home until the fever and rash have subsided and all blisters have crusted over before returning to kindergarten or school. If the condition cannot be effectively controlled, treatment should be promptly strengthened.