Editor’s Note:
On December 3, 2015, China Food and Drug Administration approved the production of inactivated enterovirus 71 vaccine, a new drug independently developed by China. This is the first hand-foot-mouth disease vaccine approved for listing in the world.
The advent of the vaccine can effectively reduce the incidence rate of hand-foot-mouth disease among children in our country, especially the severe cases and deaths of the disease, which is of great significance to the protection of children’s life and health in our country.
Hand-foot-mouth disease is mainly affected by children under 5 years old. Since the first case of hand-foot-mouth disease occurred in China in 1981, there have been many large-scale outbreaks or epidemics, ranking among the infectious diseases with the highest incidence rate in China for several consecutive years.
Every summer and autumn, there will be epidemic or sporadic cases. The fatality rate of severe hand-foot-mouth disease is high, and the survivors may also have sequelae.
As of June 2015, China had reported 12.8 million cases of hand-foot-mouth disease and 3,296 deaths.
So, is what the inactivated enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine that can prevent the disease?
Is what EV71 Inactivated Vaccine?
Inactivated EV71 vaccine is a preventive vaccine against EV71 virus.
Hand-foot-mouth disease is an infectious disease caused by enterovirus, which has two main types, one of which is enterovirus 71, also known as EV71.
After infection with EV71, children may suffer from hand-foot-mouth disease and herpetic angina, and hand-foot-mouth disease caused by this virus is generally more likely to develop into severe disease, and a few of them may even die.
Will you not get hand-foot-mouth disease after receiving this vaccine?
In addition to EV71, there is also an important type of virus causing hand-foot-mouth disease, Coxsackie virus A16 (Cox A16).
Even if vaccinated, hand-foot-mouth disease may still occur if infected with a virus other than EV71 that causes hand-foot-mouth disease.
It is understood that clinical trial results show that the protection rate of EV71 inactivated vaccine against hand-foot-mouth disease caused by EV71 can reach 97.3%, which is already quite high data.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a disease of how?
Hand-foot-mouth disease can occur all the year round, mostly in summer and autumn, but small peaks in autumn and winter can also occur in some areas. The incubation period is generally 2-7 days without obvious warning.
Most children have a sudden onset of the disease, which is characterized by fever and then rash. Infected children will develop small herpes similar to chickenpox on the skin of their hands, feet or oral mucosa, thus being called hand-foot-mouth disease.
Hand-foot-mouth disease is mostly transmitted through air (droplets), diet and close contact.
At present, there is still a lack of specific therapeutic drugs, so early prevention and treatment are very important.
1. Early prevention
Vaccination is the first choice. Secondly, daily protection should also be paid attention to to avoid contact with children.
Develop good hygiene habits, can effectively resist hand-foot-mouth disease. During the epidemic period, try to avoid taking children to public places where people gather, strengthen nutrition, ensure adequate sleep and wash hands frequently.
2. Early detection and treatment
During the epidemic period, children’s skin is checked every day, mainly to observe whether there are abnormalities in palms, soles of feet and oral cavity, and to pay attention to changes in children’s body temperature.
If the child has any of the following conditions, he or she needs to go to the hospital in time:
- Persistent high fever; Frequent vomiting; Limb shaking, weakness, convulsion; Poor spirit, easy to wake up, fidgety; Dyspnea, heart rate increases.