Data from the National Children's Hospital shows that in just over the first 2 months of 2026, nearly 3,000 children contracted hand, foot and mouth disease, of which about 1/3 of cases had to be hospitalized for treatment. Compared to the same period in 2025, the number of cases increased by 56% and the number of hospitalizations doubled.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is transmitted through the digestive tract, through direct contact with secretions from the mouth, nose, or feces of sick children. Therefore, environments such as nurseries and kindergartens are ideal places for viruses to develop and spread quickly. Although most diseases are only mild, there are still cases where the disease progresses severely and threatens life if not detected early.
One of the important characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease is that children can get it many times. This is because each time they get the disease, the body only creates immunity to a certain strain of virus, and is unable to provide long-term protection against other strains of viruses. Therefore, even if children have had hand, foot and mouth disease before, there is no guarantee that children will not get it again.
Experts recommend that parents pay special attention to three warning signs that the disease is becoming severe: prolonged high fever that does not subside, hiccups or tremors in the hands and feet, and prolonged crying. If the child has one of these three symptoms, parents need to take the child to a medical facility immediately for examination and timely treatment. Hand, foot and mouth disease can cause serious complications such as encephalitis, meningitis, myocarditis or acute pulmonary edema and all can be life-threatening if not detected and treated promptly.
Taking care of children properly at home plays a very important role in supporting children's recovery when they are mildly ill. Children need to be fully rested, eat soft, easy-to-swallow food, drink enough water and keep oral hygiene clean. However, when abnormal signs are seen, self-monitoring at home is not enough and can lead to serious consequences.
Disease prevention is still the most effective solution to prevent hand, foot and mouth disease. Measures such as washing hands regularly with soap, cleaning toys, household items and isolating sick children are simple but important ways to limit spread. Not allowing children to share personal belongings and keeping the living environment clean also has the effect of minimizing the risk of infection.
Finally, we need to realize that hand, foot and mouth disease cannot be taken lightly, especially during the epidemic season. Parents need to proactively monitor their children's health closely, promptly detect serious symptoms and take children to medical facilities immediately when there are abnormal signs. Only coordination between family, school and medical facilities can help protect children's health and prevent hand, foot and mouth disease from causing unfortunate consequences.
