What is Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease.
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is a highly contagious but mild viral illness common in young children. Symptoms include fever, painful mouth sores, and a rash with blisters on the hands and feet. There is no cure, but it usually resolves on its own within 7 to 10 days.
Key Symptoms to Look For
- Mouth sores: Small, painful ulcers in the throat and on the tongue.
- Rash: Red spots or blisters on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, and sometimes the nappy area.
- General signs: Low-grade fever, sore throat, and loss of appetite or refusal to drink due to mouth pain.
Home Care & Comfort
- Hydration: Offer plenty of cold fluids, smoothies, or icy poles to soothe the throat and prevent dehydration.
- Soft foods: Stick to a soft diet and avoid acidic or spicy foods (like citrus) which can irritate mouth sores.
- Pain relief: Use children’s paracetamol or ibuprofen to manage fever and discomfort. Never give aspirin to children.
- Blisters: Do not squeeze or pierce the blisters. Keep the rash clean and dry.
How is it spread?
- Hand, foot and mouth disease is usually spread by person-to-person contact. The virus is spread from the faeces of an infected person to the mouth of the next person by contaminated hands. It is also spread by secretions from the mouth or respiratory system (often through sneezing and coughing), by direct contact with the fluid from blisters, and via objects or surfaces with the virus on them.
- It usually takes between three and five days after contact with an infected person before blisters appear. The viruses can remain in faeces for several weeks.
Contagiousness & Returning to School
The virus spreads easily through saliva, fluid from blisters, and stool. It is most contagious during the first week but can spread for up to a month.
- Children should remain home from childcare or school until their fever has stopped and all blisters have fully dried.
- When to See a Doctor
- Most cases are managed easily at home. However, you should seek medical attention if your child:
- Shows signs of dehydration (e.g., fewer wet nappies than usual).
- Has a high fever (38°C or higher) for more than 72 hours.
- Is extremely irritable, sluggish, or difficult to wake.
Who is at risk?
- The viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease are common and particularly affect children.
- Hand foot and mouth disease can spread easily and quickly within households, particularly among children.
- Many adults, including pregnant women, are often exposed to them without symptoms. There is no clear evidence of risk to unborn babies from hand, foot and mouth disease. However, infected mothers (and siblings) can pass the infection onto newborn babies who rarely can have severe disease.
- Outbreaks may occur in child-care settings.
What are the signs of a serious infection?
Signs that an infant or older child might have a more serious form of hand, foot and mouth disease include any of the following:
- persistent fever (38°C or above for 72 hours or more)
- abnormal movements / jerking movements
- rapid breathing
- excessive tiredness, drowsiness
- excessive irritability
- difficulty walking.
If any of these signs are present then the child should be seen by a doctor urgently even if they have been checked earlier in the illness.
Blisters in the mouth may also make it painful for children to swallow fluids. If a child continues to refuse fluids by mouth they should also be seen by a doctor.
For more information please visit https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/handfootmouth.aspx