What is the source of infection of hand, foot and mouth disease?

Hand, foot and mouth disease is highly contagious. To avoid infection, you must know how the disease is transmitted and what the source of infection is. This way, you can take preventive measures and ensure the healthy growth of your child. Here, I will talk about the source of infection of hand, foot and mouth disease. I hope that the following article will be helpful to you and help your child grow up healthily and happily!

Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by enterovirus. There are more than 20 types of enterovirus that can cause hand, foot and mouth disease, among which Coxsackievirus A16 (Cox A16) and enterovirus 71 (EV 71) are the most common. It mostly occurs in children under 5 years old, with symptoms such as mouth pain, anorexia, low fever, and small blisters or ulcers on the hands, feet, mouth, etc. Most children recover on their own in about a week, while a few children may develop complications such as myocarditis, pulmonary edema, and aseptic meningoencephalitis. The condition of some seriously ill children progresses rapidly, leading to death. Currently, there is a lack of effective treatment drugs and the main treatment is symptomatic.

Sources of infection of hand, foot and mouth disease:

The sources of infection of hand, foot and mouth disease are patients and latently infected persons. During an epidemic, patients are the main source of infection. The patient excretes the virus from the throat within 1 to 2 weeks of onset, and from the feces about 3 to 5 weeks after onset. The herpes fluid contains a large amount of virus, which will overflow when the herpes ruptures. Carriers and mild sporadic cases are the main sources of infection during inter-epidemic and epidemic periods.

The harm of hand, foot and mouth disease is quite serious. If the later treatment is not timely, once the disease becomes serious, the child will lose his life. Therefore, to prevent such a thing from happening, young parents should understand the source of infection of the disease and take precautions before it happens. Only in this way can we ensure the healthy and happy growth of children. I hope the content of the article here will be helpful to everyone!