Note the use of topical medications for people with hand, foot and mouth disease

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with - Specialist I, Resident Doctor Dang Thi Ngoan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a highly contagious disease and there is still no specific treatment, so treatment is mainly aimed at reducing the symptoms of the disease. Skin lesions can occur in patients with hand, foot and mouth disease.

1. Hand, foot and mouth disease what to use?

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a disease caused by a virus - a virus, so topical antiseptics such as antibiotics, alcohol, and anesthetics have no effect on this disease. Why doesn't it work? That is because the virus has an outer shell without a lipid layer, so it is very stable in acidic environments such as lipid-soluble solvents such as alcohol, chloroform, and ether. But it is easily destroyed at temperatures above 56 degrees Celsius, inactivated in sunlight, chlorinated water such as tap water, formaldehyde solution, soap,...
Some local anesthetics such as Benzocain, Lidocain, Tetracain are the main ingredients in creams applied in the mouth. These drugs only work to temporarily relieve pain caused by inhibiting neurotransmitters, but do not work to kill the hand, foot and mouth virus. In addition, it also has side effects such as allergies, numbness of the tongue, blurred vision, arrhythmia. Therefore, children under 3 years of age should not use these drugs, because it is difficult to control the dose and side effects.
For children with a lot of sore throat, parents should let them gargle with 0.9% diluted salt water after each meal. It is possible to use gastric mucosal medicine to apply to the baby's mouth before eating.

Topical antiseptics also have no effect on blisters, so parents should not use them. Just keep the baby's skin clean, bathe with soap every day, wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet. With skin sores, it is necessary to apply an antiseptic solution to avoid superinfection such as Povidine solution, red medicine, potassium permanganate, methylene blue,...
However, parents should not arbitrarily use these types. above, but need to take the child to see a doctor for a doctor to check, evaluate and prescribe the drug to use depending on the specific condition of each child.

2. What medicine do children with hand, foot and mouth disease take?

As mentioned above, hand, foot and mouth disease is caused by a virus, so there is no drug to treat it completely, the treatment is mainly to relieve symptoms for the patient.
Fever reducer: for children with a high fever over 38 degrees, it is necessary to give them paracetamol or panadol with a dose of 10-15mg/kg. If the child still has a high fever that does not go down, give the child another 4-6 hours to continue taking it. The medicine can be placed in the anus for the child if the child refuses to take it. In particular, parents should regularly let children rinse their mouths clean to reduce sore throat.
Rehydration electrolytes: drinking enough water plays an extremely important role for patients with hand, foot and mouth disease in general and children with hand, foot and mouth disease in particular. Children should drink oresol to replenish water and electrolytes.

Besides, depending on the condition of the patient, some other drugs can be used. In particular, for patients with hand, foot and mouth disease, antibiotics are not effective. Antibiotics are only used to prevent bacterial infections from causing superinfection and must be prescribed by medical professionals. Absolutely, do not arbitrarily use antibiotics to cure the disease.
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