Contents:
- Medical Video: The Immune System Explained I – Bacteria Infection
- Who is at risk for this disease?
- What are the possible complications of Singapore flu in infants and toddlers?
- Toenails and hands off
- Dehydration
- Viral meningitis or "aseptic"
- Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
Medical Video: The Immune System Explained I – Bacteria Infection
If lately you have many red spots on your baby's skin, especially in or around the mouth (tongue, gums, inner cheeks), in the palms of his hands and feet, so that sometimes on his buttocks, you have to be alert. Because this can be a sign of Singapore flu symptoms in children. What is it and how dangerous is this condition? Check out the full review of the characteristics of Singapore flu in children and how to overcome them below.
What is Singapore flu?
Hand, foot, and mouth disease, or better known as Singapore flu is a contagious infection due to the coxsackievirus virus, part of the enterovirus family.
This virus lives in the digestive tract and spreads from person to person, usually from dirty hands and surfaces contaminated by feces. Not only that, this disease can also be transmitted through contact with saliva, feces, fluid in the skin rash, or respiratory secretions (coughing or sneezing) from an infected person.
Singapore flu is a harmless disease, does not require specific treatment, and usually disappears within 2 weeks. But if the symptoms are left and the patient does not get proper treatment, this disease can cause serious complications such as meningitis, polio, and even death.
Who is at risk for this disease?
The spread of this disease is most common in children, the highest risk is mainly faced by children under five years. Even so this disease can still be experienced by older children and adults too.
The Singapore flu epidemic is most vulnerable to spread during the summer and early fall in four-season countries, but can occur throughout the year in tropical climates, and especially in certain community areas (such as child care centers).
Some other factors that make a person more susceptible to Singapore flu are:
- Poor personal hygiene. This will provide more opportunities for the virus to infect the body.
- Often in public places. Singapore flu is an infectious disease so that if you or your child has contact with many people for a long time, the risk of getting sick will be higher.
Not having a risk factor does not mean you cannot get sick. This risk factor is only for reference. You need to ask your doctor for more information.
What are the characteristics of Singapore flu in children?
Singapore flu is one of the most infectious diseases. Your child can get the virus directly from other people who are still sick. Therefore, you are required to respond when the child develops one of the symptoms or characteristics of Singapore flu.
Singapore flu in infants and children was initially characterized by general flu symptoms. For example children who feel weak / unwell, complain of sore throats, and mild fever ranges from 38-39 degrees Celsius.
Then the next one or two days other Singapore flu characteristics emerge, namely a reddish rash starts in and / or around the mouth (tongue, gums, deep cheeks), in the palms of the hands and feet, to the buttocks. This reddish rash is the most typical Singapore flu characteristic in infants and children.
The thing that distinguishes a reddish rash from Singapore flu symptoms in children with other diseases is a rash that appears not itchy. At first this rash appears as a red bump, small, flat, which turns into a nodule or canker sores.
Spots are bumps with liquid bubble-filled peaks. Spots can rupture open and peel, leaving sore abrasions with a reddish base. Wounds and abrasions usually disappear in a week or more.
It will be difficult for you to find out if a child (especially a very small one) has symptoms of Singapore flu if the wound only occurs in the mouth or throat. Because children who are still very young may not be able to tell you that they have a sore throat.
Even so, that does not mean you cannot recognize the characteristics of Singapore flu in children. If a child stops eating or drinking, or reluctantly eats or drinks, this can indicate that something is wrong. Well, this is where you have to start being vigilant.
Singapore's other flu characteristics in children are that your child may experience muscle pain or other classic flu symptoms such as irritability or anxiety, sleep more often or longer than usual, start drooling (due to pain while swallowing) or even just want to drink cold liquid.
It usually takes 3 to 6 days for the child to show the characteristics of Singapore flu as mentioned above after being infected with the virus. This is called the incubation period.
In some cases, a child may not show the characteristics of Singapore flu at all, or symptoms that appear very mild. Parents may initially think that the pimples experienced by children are just normal thrush so that they are often underestimated and not given appropriate treatment.
What should I do if my child catches Singapore flu?
Actually there is no Singaporean flu drug in specific infants and children. This is because Singapore flu usually does not require special treatment other than home care to let the viral life cycle pass by itself. Resting at home until completely healed is the best Singaporean flu medicine you can do to treat this condition.
Some of the things you can do to help relieve the symptoms of Singapore flu are:
- Give your child plenty of cold fluids to help with sore throats and avoid dehydration - cold water or milk is the ideal choice for Singapore flu medicine. You can also give your baby milk or breast milk in smaller portions but more often. Cold foods such as ice cream or gelatin can also help.
- Avoid giving him something salty, spicy or sour if his mouth hurts. These foods / drinks can make canker sores more painful.
- Give soft food if he has difficulty swallowing, such as soup, porridge, or mashed potatoes.
- Children with blisters on their hands or feet must keep the skin area clean and open. Wash the skin with warm water and soap, dry it properly.
- If canker sores appear, apply a little antibiotic ointment. Antibiotics can be a powerful Singaporean medicine to help prevent infection and cover with thin gauze.
- Other Singapore flu drugs to treat fever and pain are paracetamol or ibuprofen, if your doctor approves it. Therefore, always consult a doctor before you use Singapore flu drugs in infants and children.
- Do not give aspirin as a Singaporean flu drug in infants and toddlers. Because aspirin can cause Reye's syndrome in children, a rare but potentially fatal disease.
Apart from those mentioned above, antacids can also be another option for Singapore flu drugs in children. Because this drug can help relieve pain due to symptoms of Singapore flu.
You can dip cotton in a one-to-one mixture of liquid antacids (like Mylanta) and liquid children's antihistamines (like Benadryl), and coat the thrush in the child's mouth with the solution.
The combination of these two non-prescription drugs will protect and relieve inflammation of the wound. In severe cases, your doctor can recommend adding prescription drugs to the mixture.
Basically, Singapore flu in infants will usually disappear in a few days to a week, so your child can recover completely. During the first week since he shows symptoms, he will be very contagious.
But the virus can still be transmitted for weeks afterwards. Parents may contract the disease from their children and not even realize it.
When should the child be taken to a doctor?
If your child does not show improvement in Singapore flu symptoms or even shows the signs below, contact your doctor immediately:
- If your baby is under three months old and his rectal temperature reaches 38ºC or higher. Very young babies with high fever must be watched carefully.
- If your baby is at least 3 months old and the temperature reaches 38.5ºC or more; or if he is at least 6 months old and his body temperature reaches 39.5ºC.
- If your baby shows signs of dehydration, such as dry mouth or six hours pass without urinating.
Can Singapore flu symptoms in children appear later?
Yes, your child can bring up Singapore flu symptoms if he or she is infected again later. Just like colds and flu, children will increase immunity to certain viruses that make them sick. But this infection is caused by a number of different viruses, so it's possible to get it more than once.
What can be done to prevent Singapore flu in children?
In addition there are no specific Singaporean flu drugs, until now there is no vaccine to prevent Singapore flu in children or other similar infections. This disease can spread through contact with dirt, saliva, mucus from the nose, or fluid from broken canker sores.
Stop all children's activities first, including going to school, when he has a fever or open blisters on the skin and in the mouth. Even after the child is cured, the remaining living viruses can remain in their feces for several weeks, so that the infection can still spread to other people.
Some of the things you can do to prevent your child from developing Singapore flu symptoms are:
- Rest the child at home until the situation is completely recovered. You are also advised not to tell him to go to school or play with his peers for a while until his condition improves.
- Washing hands and maintaining personal hygiene are the best protection. Remind everyone in your family to wash their hands frequently, especially after using the toilet or changing a child's diaper, and before preparing or eating food.
- Don't let your child share toys or give kisses when he is infected.
- Wash and sterilize toys and other objects that might have germs.
- Avoid sharing eating and bathing equipment with infected people.
- Wash and sterilize clothes, sheets and blankets contaminated with soap and hot water.
- Teach your toddler how to maintain the cleanliness of his own body members. This is important because in many cases children in toddlers are most vulnerable to Singapore flu.
What are the possible complications of Singapore flu in infants and toddlers?
Health complications from hand, foot and mouth disease actually not common. Basically if you can make sure your child gets the right treatment as mentioned above, the complications of this disease will rarely occur. This is because hand, foot and mouth diseaseis a disease that gives rise to mild signs and symptoms.
Some of the complications that may occur from Singapore flu are:
Toenails and hands off
In some cases, Singapore flu in infants and toddlers can cause this complication. This condition generally occurs within a few weeks after the child develops Singapore flu symptoms.
Until now, experts have not yet known whether the loss of toenails and finger nails is caused by diseasehand, foot and mouth diseaseor not.
However, in the report reviewed, the loss of toenails and toenails is only temporary, and the nails can grow back without medical treatment.
Dehydration
The most common complications of hand, foot and mouth disease or Singapore flu is dehydrated. As described above, this disease can cause sores in the mouth and throat, making children feel pain and difficulty swallowing.
Well, this is what ultimately makes children at risk of becoming dehydrated because of the difficulty of eating and drinking. Therefore, as a parent, make sure your child gets enough fluid intake whatever the way he is during this disease. If your child has severe dehydration, intravenous (IV) fluids may be needed.
Viral meningitis or "aseptic"
The virus that causes Singapore flu in infants and toddlers can cause meningitis if the virus enters the membranes or brain fluids. Meningitis itself is a rare infection that occurs in the lining of the brain (meninges), cerebrospinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
Encephalitis or what is known as inflammation of the brain is an inflammatory condition in the brain. This condition is usually caused by a viral infection, and is a serious health condition, and can cause language disorders, memory, and even death. The good news is that encephalitis is a very rare complication.
