Exercise Caution Following Outbreak of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease in Anhui Province

By now I'm sure many of you parents have already heard about the Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) outbreak in Anhui Province. For those that haven't, the Chinese Health Ministry are reporting:

Exercise Caution Following Outbreak of Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease in Anhui Province Especially During May Day Holiday.

A serious outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) due to the Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is underway in the city of Fuyang, Anhui province. By 26 April, 19 deaths and more than 780 cases were reported by the Ministry of Health.

The outbreak which began in March, has mainly affected children under two years of age. All victims are under the age of six. More than 200 children remain in hospital and four remain in a critical condition.

The Chinese Ministry of Health has dispatched a team to the area to investigate the situation, and improve the hygiene of local schools, kindergartens and villages in an attempt to prevent further spread of the disease.

The HFMD is present worldwide, in virtually all countries. It is a common contagious infection that typically occurs among infants and children, though adults are occasionally infected. Infected people generally develop an illness that includes fever, painful ulcers in the mouth, and a non-itchy rash that causes small blisters to appear on the hands, feet and buttocks. Children usually recover without specific treatment in 7 to 10 days. Occasionally, the EV71 virus can cause a severe illness in which patients may develop meningitis or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). The latter may be fatal.

The disease is spread from person-to-person via contact with infected secretions such as saliva, fluid from blisters or stool. There is no vaccine. The following strict hygiene measures must be followed to prevent the infection from spreading:

* Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water.

* Do not share food, drinks or eating utensils.

* Avoid close contact such as kissing and hugging with infected persons.

* Disinfect contaminated surfaces and items by washing with a diluted chlorine-containing product.

* Seek medical attention if there is persistent high fever or vomiting, or at any time if you are worried.

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I know we can't live in a bubble but reading things like this always make me want to just keep Tanner confined to the comforts of his IQ Air Filtered room. But that's not realistic. The one thing I do worry about now is that my ayi who adores Tanner (thankfully) kisses him often. I usually don't have a problem with it, however, this story makes me realize that I don't really know what germs she carries or where she lives or anything about her once she leaves our home. Would I let anyone kiss Tanner that wasn't a relative? Probably not, but the problem is how do I approach this issue with my ayi who is already used to kissing him?