Hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common viral illness that spreads easily.

It mostly affects young children, especially those under age 10. But older children and adults can get it too.

Most of the time, it’s mild and gets better on its own in 7 to 10 days.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is not the same as foot and mouth disease that affects farm animals. You cannot catch hand, foot and mouth disease from animals.

It can take a few days for symptoms to develop after your child gets the virus.

Symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease

The first symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease can be:

• a sore throat
• a high temperature, above 38 degrees Celsius
• not wanting to eat

The second stage usually starts a few days later and symptoms can include:

• mouth ulcers, which can be painful
• a raised rash of spots on the hands and feet, and sometimes the groin area and bottom

Symptoms in adults and children are usually similar.

Symptoms are usually worse in babies and children under age 5.

You can get hand, foot and mouth disease more than once. But usually your symptoms will not be as bad as the first time.

Sometimes a rash with a high temperature can be symptoms of another serious infection such as meningitis.

If you're worried your child may have meningitis, seek urgent medical help.

How to check for a meningitis rash

How to treat hand, foot and mouth disease in children

Hand, foot and mouth disease usually gets better on its own in 7 to 10 days. There are no medicines to cure hand, foot and mouth disease. Antibiotics do not help because the infection is caused by a virus.

If your child is unwell or has a fever, give them paracetamol or ibuprofen. Only give your child ibuprofen if they are older than 3 months.

There are some other things you can do to help ease your child's symptoms.

Talk to a pharmacist

Speak to a pharmacist for advice about treatments. Mouth ulcer gels, sprays and mouthwashes can help relieve pain. The pharmacist can tell you which ones are suitable for children.

They can tell you which medicines are best for you or your child.

When to see your GP

If there's an outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease at your child's school or preschool, it's likely your child has caught the virus. It is unlikely that you will need to go to your GP for a diagnosis.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is contagious. Check with your GP's surgery before you go there. They may suggest a phone consultation. This is to prevent spreading the infection.

Test for hand, foot and mouth disease

Your doctor may need to do tests if they are not sure your child has hand, foot and mouth disease.

Tests may include:

• a swab - they rub the back of your child's throat with a small tool that looks like a long cotton bud
• taking a poo sample

These samples will be sent to the lab for testing.

Hand, foot and mouth disease in pregnancy

There's normally no risk to your pregnancy or baby. But avoid close contact with anyone who has hand, foot and mouth disease.

This is because if you have hand, foot and mouth disease shortly before birth, your baby can be born with a mild version of it.

Complications from hand, foot and mouth disease

The most common complications from hand, foot and mouth disease are dehydration and infected blisters.

Dehydration

A sore mouth or throat can make it difficult to swallow. If a child does not drink enough, they can become dehydrated.

If your child becomes severely dehydrated, they may need to go to hospital to get fluids intravenously (into a vein).

Infection

Keep the blistered areas clean to help prevent infection. Wash the skin with lukewarm soap and water, and pat dry.

Do not try to pop the blisters. It increases the risk of bacterial skin infections in the person with blisters and of spreading the virus to others.

Serious complications from hand, foot and mouth disease

The virus causing hand, foot and mouth disease can be dangerous. In very rare cases, it can cause inflammation of the heart, brain or lungs.

Causes of hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease is most commonly caused by a virus called coxsackievirus.

It's easily passed on to other people. It spreads in coughs, sneezes and poo.

You can become infected if you touch the blisters, poo or saliva of someone with hand, foot and mouth disease.

How to stop hand, foot and mouth disease spreading

You're most likely to give hand, foot and mouth disease to others in the first 5 days after symptoms start.

To reduce the risk of spreading the virus:

• wash your and your child's hands well
• use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze
• bin used tissues as quickly as possible
• do not share towels or household items, like cups or cutlery
• wash soiled bedding and clothing on a hot wash
• wash your hands before preparing food
• do not put your child's soother in your mouth - for example, if it falls to the ground
• wash your hands after changing your child's nappy and clean the changing mat or table

Staying off school, preschool or childcare

Keep your child off school, preschool or childcare while they are feeling unwell.

As soon as they're feeling better, they can go back. There's no need to wait until all the blisters have healed.

Keeping your child home for longer is unlikely to stop the illness from spreading. Your child was probably contagious before they had symptoms.

Tell your child's school, preschool or childcare provider that your child had the virus.