▲ A notice regarding hand, foot, and mouth disease posted at a hospital in Seoul.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease, a representative infectious disease during the summer, has been spreading for seven consecutive weeks, primarily among infants and toddlers.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the rate of patients showing suspected symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease at sentinel surveillance medical institutions in the 25th week of this year was 11.2 per 1,000 people.
The rate of suspected patients has been increasing every week since the 18th week, when it was 0.9 per 1,000 people, and has surpassed 10 for the first time this year.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is mainly caused by enterovirus infections, such as Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus A71.
It commonly occurs in infants and children aged 5 or younger who have weaker immune systems.
The disease has an incubation period of 3 to 5 days after infection, and initial symptoms include mild fever, sore throat, and loss of appetite.
While most cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease improve naturally within 3 to 7 days, caution is required as dehydration may occur due to reduced intake of water or food caused by pain in the mouth.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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