ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy of vidarabine monophosphate and ribavirin for treating handfootmouth disease (HFMD) in children.Methods120 children with HFMD and admitted to a hospital from April 2013 to April 2015 were randomly divided into observation group and control group, 60 cases in each group， observation group treated with vidarabine monophosphate, control group treated with ribavirin, the therapeutic efficacy between two groups were compared.ResultsAfter treatment, the negative conversion rate of intestinal virus EV and EV71, as well as Coxsackie virus A16（CA16） in observation group were 87.0%, 85.7%, and 93.1% respectively, in control group were 64.0%, 69.8%, and 78.6% respectively, difference between two groups was statistically significant (all P<0.05). The average length of hospital stay in observation group was shorter than control group (［4.5 ± 1.3］ days vs ［6.2 ± 1.2］ days, P<0.05), symptom(fever, stomatitis, skin rash) control time in observation group were all shorter than control group(all P<0.05). Whether patients with or without complication, therapeutic effect of the observation group was better than that of control group; myocardial enzyme data, C reactive protein(CRP), and white blood cell(WBC) in observation group were all lower than control group(all P<0.05).ConclusionEfficacy of vidarabine monophosphate for treating children with HFMD is better than ribavirin, but it needs further study.