Background
HFMD is a contagious disease caused by viruses that belong to the Enterovirus family. Coxsackievirus A16, Coxsackievirus A6 and Enterovirus 71 (EV 71) viruses are the common causes for HFMD. HFMD most commonly occurs in children. The outbreak of HFMD have occurred in many countries, including China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia. There were more than 1 million cases reported in China in 2013 and 243 among them were died.
Symptoms
The symptoms of HFMD include fever, vomiting, and sore throat, followed by mouth sore and skin rash on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, knees, elbows, buttocks or genital area.
Transmission
HFMD is spread from person to person through nasopharyngeal secretion (such as saliva or nasal mucus), by direct contact, or by fecal-oral transmission.
Treatment
There is no specific treatment for HFMD. Only supportive treatment used to relieve the symptoms are available.
Infection Control
Vaccines against EV71 are available and have been approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of China.
CDC has recommended the following steps to prevent catching or spreading HFMD;
- Always wash or disinfect your hand with hand sanitizer after changing diapers, using toilet, coughing or sneezing
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and shared items, such as toys and doorknobs
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth before washing hands
- Avoid close contact with sick people
Hisept has a range of products, including hand sanitizers, antiseptic solution, surface and instrument disinfectants that can effectively inactivate virus, including Enterovirus. The virucidal activity of these products have been proved by EN 14476 tests.
Reference