{"id":15458,"date":"2020-09-14T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T14:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=15458"},"modified":"2022-08-24T11:56:56","modified_gmt":"2022-08-24T15:56:56","slug":"hand-foot-and-mouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/hand-foot-and-mouth\/","title":{"rendered":"The parent\u2019s guide to hand, foot, and mouth disease in children"},"content":{"rendered":"

Endless coughs and sneezes, runny noses, and unexplained itchy bumps\u2014kids seem to be a magnet for germs. In our parent\u2019s guide to childhood illnesses, we talk about the symptoms and treatments for the most common conditions. Read the full series <\/span><\/i>here<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

What is HFMD?<\/a> | Symptoms<\/a> | Diagnosis<\/a> | Treatment<\/a> | Prevention <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Hand, foot, and mouth disease sounds like something you would find in a barnyard, but it is actually a common and usually harmless childhood illness. It is contagious and often spreads easily through\u00a0<\/span>schools<\/span><\/a> and child care centers. Thankfully, most cases are mild and children recover without any serious or lasting effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD)?<\/h2>\n

HFMD is a viral illness (usually coxsackievirus a16 or other enteroviruses). In the United States, it occurs more often in the\u00a0<\/span>summer and fall<\/span><\/a> seasons. While adults and older children can catch the viral infection, it\u2019s most commonly in young children 6 months to 5 years old. It is not related to any animal diseases\u2014despite the similarity in name to foot-and-mouth disease (also known as hoof-and-mouth disease), which affects cows, sheep, and pigs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The hallmark of HFMD is red flat spots that may blister in the mouth, on palms of the hands and soles of the feet, and occasionally on other areas of the body.<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0<\/span>incubation period<\/span><\/a> (time from exposure to illness to the appearance of symptoms) for HFMD is three to six days. People are<\/span>\u00a0most contagious<\/span><\/a> during the first week of illness, but the virus can stay in the respiratory tract and shed for several weeks after a person recovers, and HFMD can be spread through feces up to several months after recovery. It\u2019s also possible to have HFMD and not be symptomatic, particularly for adults. Asymptomatic carriers of HFMD can still spread the illness.<\/span><\/p>\n

Because the illness is usually mild, and the contagious period can be long, children don\u2019t need to stay home from<\/span> school<\/span><\/a> or daycare, unless:<\/span><\/p>\n