Hand, foot and mouth disease
Hand Foot and Mouth is a common childhood illness, caused by a virus called Coxsackie. It is usually a mild infection that does not need specific treatment and will usually get better on its own. Antibiotics will not help.
It commonly affects children under 5 years of age, and initial symptoms can include
● a high temperature
● sore throat
● reduced appetite
● generally feeling unwell.
After a few days mouth ulcers and a rash will appear. These can be painful and make it difficult to eat or drink.
Red spots, which develop into blisters, usually appear on the hands and feet.
The blisters are grey in the centre and can be painful.
It's possible to get hand, foot and mouth disease more than once.
If you're not sure it's hand, foot and mouth disease
- Look at other childhood rashesInformation
Seeing your child unwell with hand foot and mouth disease can be very distressing for a parent and while there is no treatment for the virus itself there are simple things you can do to make your child more comfortable:
● Get them to drink plenty of fluids and try ice lollies if your child is not drinking much
● Try soft foods like soup, yoghurt or ice cream. Avoid hot and spicy foods as these may be painful on ulcers in the mouth
● Speak with your local community pharmacist for advice about treatments, such as mouth ulcer gels, sprays and mouthwashes to relieve pain.
● Paracetamol or ibuprofen for temperature or pain
● While there is normally no risk to pregnant people it is best to avoid close contact if possible
You can't take antibiotics or medicines to cure hand, foot and mouth disease. It has to run its course. It usually gets better in 7 to 10 days.
How long will your child’s symptoms last?
● Hand foot and mouth disease usually lasts 7 to 10 days
● It is easy to spread for first 5 days (it is spread in sneezes, coughing and poo)
● Wash your hands often and avoid sharing towels at home
● You should keep your child off school of nursery while they are feeling unwell
● Once they are feeling better they can go back and there is no need to wait until all the blisters have healed. It is best to let the school or nursery know.
How to stop hand foot and mouth disease spreading?
Hand, foot and mouth disease is easily passed on to other people. It's spread when people cough or sneeze and in poo.
You're infectious from a few days before you have any symptoms, but you're most likely to give it to others in the first 5 days after symptoms start.
To reduce the risk of spreading hand, foot and mouth disease:
● wash your hands often with warm soapy water and teach children to do so
● use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze
● bin used tissues as quickly as possible
● don't share towels or household items like cups or cutlery
● wash soiled bedding and clothing on a hot wash