Having a child in kindergarten, Ms. Thanh Huong (32 years old, Phu My ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that she always feels insecure every time she hears information that the hand, foot and mouth disease epidemic is circulating. In particular, about a week ago, her child's class recorded one case of the disease. Although the baby has been isolated for treatment at home, the worry is still constant.
My child has been fully vaccinated, but the possibility of getting sick is still there. The school then cleaned and disinfected him, but I am still worried, especially when the child is young and has weak resistance," Ms. Huong shared.
Faced with the risk of epidemics, many kindergartens have proactively implemented preventive measures. Phan Hoa Hoa Linh, Principal of Hanh Phuc Tre Tho Kindergarten, said that the school builds strict hygiene procedures according to daily, weekly and monthly schedules to limit the risk of epidemic outbreaks.
According to Ms. Linh, hygiene work is carried out immediately after the end of the school day and continues in the early morning of the next day. Before welcoming children, the entire classroom, corridor, toys and common living areas are cleaned and disinfected. Children are instructed to wash their hands with soap before and after eating, and use separate personal items such as towels, glasses and water bottles to limit cross-infection.
The school pays special attention to using personal belongings separately. Each child has a separate water bottle, not used together to limit the risk of disease spread," Ms. Linh said.
In addition, the corridor area - where children eat - is thoroughly cleaned after each meal by washing it, instead of just wiping it dry as usual. The school also strengthens disease prevention propaganda through groups, classes, and electronic information pages so that parents can proactively monitor their children's health.
In particular, the school resolutely does not accept children with signs of infectious diseases, even when only mild symptoms appear. In parallel, teachers are periodically trained in disease prevention and control at different times of the year.
Not only schools, local health sectors also closely coordinate in epidemic prevention. For example, Phu Tho Hoa Ward Health Station has deployed monitoring and handling of hand, foot and mouth disease outbreaks at kindergartens in the area.
According to statistics, the number of hand, foot and mouth disease cases in the locality tends to increase in the period of late March and early April 2026. The health station has coordinated with the school to conduct epidemiological investigations, review cases of close contact and monitor children's health daily. For classes with many cases, health agencies consider temporarily suspending operations to control the risk of infection.
In April 2026, the health station will continue to organize training for teachers and nannies on the process of monitoring and early detection of hand, foot and mouth disease. Some facilities also deploy body temperature measurements before entering classes and strictly manage high-risk cases.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, in week 14, the city recorded 1,347 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, an increase of 64% compared to the average of the previous 4 weeks. The total accumulated number of cases from the beginning of 2026 to week 14 is 10,496 cases. Some localities with high cases include Con Dao, Long Dien and Dat Do special zones.
The city's health sector still recommends that parents not be subjective, need to proactively prevent diseases, monitor children's health and take children to the doctor when there are abnormal signs.
