Question
Is my baby’s Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease contagious?
Answer
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease is inherently a highly contagious illness, making your guess quite plausible. Mild cases can be treated with antiviral, anti-infection, and systemic stimulation therapy; severe patients should also be closely monitored for changes in condition, particularly the function of vital organs such as the brain, lungs, and heart; critically ill patients should pay special attention to monitoring blood pressure, blood gas predictions, and chest X-rays. Common treatments include Acyclovir, Valacyclovir, Famciclovir, as well as traditional Chinese medicine. As highly effective broad-spectrum antiviral drugs, they have the significant effect of shortening the duration of fever and skin lesion scabbing time, and alleviating the pain from oral sores. Regionally, mouthwashes and topical applications can also be used.