More than 86,000 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease nationwide

On October 1, according to statistics from the Ministry of Health, since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded 86,078 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, with 21 deaths. Compared to the same period last year, the number of cases increased by 75%, and the number of deaths increased by 18%.

Last week, the country recorded 5,250 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, with no deaths. In Hanoi, the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases has been on the rise in recent weeks.

According to experts, hand, foot and mouth disease in Vietnam is mainly caused by Enterovirus 71 (EV71) and Coxsackie A16. The disease can occur in all subjects, however, up to 90% of cases occur in children under 3 years old. EV71 often causes severe illness and can easily cause complications and death.

A representative of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) said that it is now the beginning of the new school year, and there is a high risk of spreading hand, foot and mouth disease if schools and especially preschools and family nurseries do not properly implement personal and environmental hygiene measures to prevent hand, foot and mouth disease.

Doctors recommend that if a child shows any unusual signs, parents should take the child to a medical facility immediately to determine the severity of the disease and provide an appropriate treatment regimen. Parents should not research online and then arbitrarily use drugs, which can make the child's illness worse.