Question
My baby has hand, foot, and mouth disease. After taking medication and using sprays, they seemed to recover. After returning home for 3 months and sending them to a halal kindergarten for 3 days, we noticed a slight improvement with ribavirin. But a few days later, the condition worsened again, leading to hospitalization with a fever of 39 degrees and a high white blood cell count. They were discharged after 3 days and isolated at home. They haven’t gone back to kindergarten since. Usually, they have one or two blisters in their mouth, so I give them more water.
Answer
Hello! Your child has previously had hand, foot, and mouth disease, which is an infectious disease caused by enteroviruses that commonly affects children under 5 years old. There are many types of enteroviruses that can cause this disease, with Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus 71 being the most common. There is no lifelong immunity to this disease, and it’s possible to be infected with new variants. The main reason is that children have low resistance, so it’s important to strengthen daily care, pay attention to temperature and nutrition, take your child outside on sunny days for some exercise to enhance their physique, and avoid crowded places to prevent repeated cross-infection. You can also consider giving them some immunity-boosting medication or health supplements. Wishing your baby healthy growth and happiness for your family!