Hand, foot and mouth disease, for which no preventive vaccine exists, is spreading rapidly among infants and young children.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Saturday, the proportion of patients showing suspected symptoms of the disease reached 7.2 per 1,000 at 109 sentinel surveillance medical institutions nationwide during the 23rd week of this year (May 31–June 6). Compared with the suspected-patient rate of 4.2 per 1,000 in the preceding 22nd week, the figure jumped 71.4% in just one week.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is an infectious illness caused by enteroviruses such as poliovirus, coxsackievirus A16, or enterovirus 71. It typically begins in early summer and continues through autumn. Infection can occur through direct contact with a patient's feces or secretions such as saliva and nasal discharge, or by touching contaminated objects, and the disease usually has an incubation period of three to seven days.
The suspected-patient rate has been rising continuously over the past month since recording 1.1 per 1,000 in the 19th week. The scale of suspected patients in the 23rd week (7.2) is more than double that of the same period last year (3.4).
By age group, suspected patients aged 0 to 6 increased noticeably from 1.6 per 1,000 in the 19th week to 10.0 in the 23rd week.
Typical symptoms of the disease include fever and sore throat, followed one to two days later by blister-like rashes on the hands, feet, and inside the mouth. Symptoms usually improve in about three to four days and mostly disappear within ten days, but complications such as encephalitis and myocarditis can occur in rare cases, so it is advisable to seek treatment at a medical institution.
The KDCA expects patient numbers to continue rising for the time being, given that the disease, which mainly occurs in infants and young children, begins each May and spreads between June and September.
To prevent the disease, people must always wash their hands after going out, before and after meals, before and after changing an infant's diaper, and after caring for a patient, and clothing soiled with a patient's excretions must be washed thoroughly. Since there is currently no medicine to treat the disease or vaccine to prevent it, thorough personal hygiene is the best measure.
Because infants and young children with the disease are highly contagious while symptomatic, group activities such as attending daycare centers and kindergartens should be avoided until recovery. Daycare centers and kindergartens should thoroughly manage the disinfection of shared items and surfaces that children frequently touch, such as toys, play equipment, and door handles.
