Hand-foot-mouth disease on the rise with 16 deaths so far

In Ho Chi Minh City, based on the latest laboratory results, a significant proportion of samples have tested positive for Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), which causes HFMD. EV-71 and is believed to generally cause severe complications and deaths among infected patients.

Le Hong Nga, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control and Prevention (HCDC), said that EV71 also caused HFMD outbreaks in both 2011 and 2018. This year, the disease is expected to see a resurgence over the next three and four months before beginning to abate.

Hanoi also recorded an increasing number of HFM patients during the period, the majority of whom were children aged between one and five.

Health experts say HFMD is common among young children and is typically transmitted through the gastrointestinal tract, meaning that it is important for children and their caregivers to practice good personal hygiene.

Symptoms of the disease include a mild or moderate fever, fatigue, a sore throat, a skin rash developing on palms, feet, knees, and buttocks, as well as sores that may occur on the lining of cheeks, gums, and the tongue.

Patients should be hospitalised in the event that they suffer from a high fever which cannot be reduced by paracetamol, vomiting, convulsions, and an increased heart rate.

Furthermore, any infected children should not go to school for at least 10 days in an attempt to avoid further spreading the disease to others.