The disease is on the rise
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a contagious disease that circulates year-round, mainly transmitted through the digestive tract and often increases seasonally, especially in March to May and September to October every year.
Mr. Vo Hai Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention, Ministry of Health, said: From the beginning of 2026 to now, the whole country has recorded about 26,000 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease. Ho Chi Minh City leads with more than 7,000 cases, Dong Nai more than 2,200 cases, Hanoi nearly 2,000 cases. The Southern region accounts for about 70% of the total number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases in the country, which is a high-risk area.
Mr. Son said that through epidemiological surveillance, most cases are concentrated in young children, especially children of nursery and kindergarten age. In the coming time, if synchronous prevention measures are not implemented, the number of cases and the number of severe cases may continue to increase.
Regarding specific data, according to monitoring from the beginning of 2026 to date, the whole country recorded about 26,000 cases and 8 deaths.
In March 2026 alone, the average weekly number of cases increased compared to the previous month. Test results in some specimens showed that the strain of Enterovirus A71 (EV71) is circulating with a noteworthy rate.
This is a virus strain that is often associated with the risk of the disease progressing more severely, so the health sector is closely monitoring to have appropriate response measures, Mr. Son emphasized.
Explaining the cause of the increase in epidemics, Mr. Son said that there are many impacting factors. First of all, hot and humid weather conditions appear early, creating a favorable environment for pathogens to circulate. In addition, the circulation of the EV71 strain increases the risk of recording severe disease cases.
In addition, the disease mainly occurs in young children, especially children under 5 years old, an age group that does not have adequate personal hygiene awareness and often lives concentrated in nurseries and kindergartens. This increases the risk of spreading in the community.
If children are not detected early and dismissed from school in time, the disease can spread in the classroom and community," he said.
Focus on monitoring and early detection of cases
To control the epidemic, the health sector is currently implementing many synchronous measures, focusing on monitoring and early detection of cases.
Also according to the Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention and Information, currently, the health sector is combining many channels to detect cases early, including reports from medical examination and treatment facilities and warning information from the community and schools”.
In addition, the sector also closely coordinates with the Education and Training sector and local authorities to detect suspected cases early, guide timely handling and limit spread.
At treatment facilities, cases with signs of worsening are closely monitored and provided with professional support from higher levels for timely emergency and treatment, minimizing deaths.
For parents, the Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention recommends to regularly monitor the health of children, especially children under 5 years old. When children have suspected signs such as fever, mouth ulcers, rash on hands, feet or buttocks, they should be taken to a medical facility for examination and guidance on care and treatment.
Children with the disease need to take leave from school to avoid spreading to other children," emphasized the Deputy Director of the Department of Disease Prevention; at the same time, schools need to strengthen environmental sanitation, monitor students' health and closely coordinate with parents and medical facilities in early detection and timely handling of suspected cases of disease.
In the school environment, epidemic prevention and control measures are also being implemented synchronously, Mr. Son said: "The health sector is closely coordinating with the Education sector to implement measures to prevent and control hand, foot and mouth disease in schools, focusing on strengthening communication to teachers and parents about disease identification signs.
Along with that are instructions on implementing personal hygiene measures, cleaning classrooms, toys and surfaces in constant contact; ensuring that classrooms are clean, ventilated, and well-lit. Educational institutions are required to closely monitor children's health status, detect suspected cases early and promptly notify families as well as medical facilities for appropriate treatment.
