What to do if my child is affected with HFMD?

Babyment

First and foremost, you need to confirm with doctors that your child is affected by HFMD. If your child's fever gets higher than 39 degree celcius or your child shows sign of dehydration, please seek the doctor's help immediately. Furthermore, you should ask doctors for advice on how to reduce your child's body temperature, pain and how to deal with other symptoms of the HFMD.

At home, you should try to make your child feel more comfortable and monitor his or her situation closely. If your child demonstrates the following, you should send them to the Emergency Department at National University Hospital or KK Women and Children's Hospital

1. Your child refuses to eat or drink or your child is unable to swallow
2. Persistent vomiting
3. Your child has difficulty in breathing
4. Your child complains of acute headache or shows drowsiness
5. Your child shows sign of dehydration such as a dry tongue or decreased urine output that can be judged by number of diapers used.

In addition, parents are also recommended to feed their affected child with cooler liquid or fluid food as frequent as possible. Parents may consider using formula-milk if the affected child has difficulty in eating or chewing.

Lastly, parents should also keep the house as clean as possible and have good personal hygiene.

The article is for information purpose only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.