Enterovirus infection in outpatient pediatric practice

Abstract

In order to effectively respond to outbreaks of enterovirus infection, to prevent its spread and due to the need to increase doctors’ awareness for timely diagnosis of the disease, timely informing the authorities monitoring the formation and spread of epidemic variants of viruses, an algorithm was created of the primary care physician actions in identifying a sick child with enterovirus infection. The primary task of the doctor is to suspect enterovirus infection on time. Next step is to provide clear instructions to parents with determination of “red flags” — the symptoms for the need for immediate medical attention if they occur. And also, it is necessary to detect a severe form of the disease for timely hospitalization of the patient, to choose a reasonable treatment approach at the outpatient stage, and to eliminate the source of the threat of infection spread. We propose an algorithm for the diagnosis and treatment of enterovirus infection at the outpatient stage of pediatric care, based on the international consensus “A Guide to Clinical Management and Public Health Response for Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease” (2011). The development of a unified treatment and diagnostic approach for patients with enterovirus infection and their contacts is a prerequisite for the effectiveness of providing assistance to this category of people in the context of the reorganization of the national medical industry, and the proposed algorithm which should help primary care physician in identifying a sick child with suspicion of enterovirus infection.

Keywords

• enterovirus infection
• children
• algorithm