By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Vietnam health officials report since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded 17,451 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, of which 4 died in Kien Giang, An Giang and Long An.

Image/Vietnam MOH

According to the infectious disease surveillance system of Vietnam, compared to the same period in 2020, the number of hand, foot and mouth disease increased 4 times and mainly in the South and locally in some provinces and cities such as: TP. Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Long An, Dong Thap, An Giang.

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in Vietnam is a year-round disease that spreads through the gastrointestinal tract and is found in almost 63 provinces and cities, often with an increase in the incidence between April – May and September – every year. Children are susceptible to infection because they are related to the practice of personal hygiene, inadequate environmental hygiene, especially hygiene skills for children, not yet washing their hands with soap regularly.

Experts say the earliest manifestations of the disease are fatigue, low-grade fever (38 – 38.5 degrees C), sore throat, runny nose that occurs in a few days. Then appear blisters on the oral mucosa, usually on the inside of the cheeks, on the gums, on the side of the tongue; blisters of a small size (2 – 3mm) are located on a red inflammatory mucous background. Blisters in the mouth rupture quickly creating sores and burning pain. Blisters, blisters will continue to appear on the feet, hands, sometimes with blisters, blisters on the buttocks.

However, there are some atypical cases and the above symptoms are not clear, only mouth ulcers, or blistering, are just dots or erythema. This makes relatives confuse with other illnesses and usually only discovered when the disease has complications too severe.