Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease
A common, contagious childhood viral illness causing mouth sores and a distinctive rash, usually resolving within about a week.
Book a Consultation for Your ChildMouth sores along with a rash on hands and feet?
This combination is characteristic of hand, foot and mouth disease -- an evaluation confirms the diagnosis and discusses comfort measures.
Concerned about dehydration or persistent fever?
While generally mild, difficulty drinking fluids due to mouth pain, or a fever that persists, is worth a prompt evaluation.
What Is It?
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common, contagious viral illness in young children, causing small sores inside the mouth alongside a rash or small blisters on the hands, feet, and sometimes buttocks. It typically follows a mild, self-limiting course over about a week, though the mouth sores can make eating and drinking uncomfortable in the meantime.
Treatment is supportive — managing discomfort, encouraging fluid intake despite mouth soreness, and monitoring for the illness to follow its expected course. Because it spreads easily through close contact, simple hygiene measures help limit transmission to other children and family members while your child recovers.
Risk Factors
- Close contact with other children, common in daycare and school settings
- Most common in children under 5
- Spreads through respiratory droplets and contact with fluid from blisters
Symptoms
- Small sores inside the mouth
- Rash or small blisters on the hands, feet, and sometimes buttocks
- Fever, often preceding the rash by a day or two
Treatment
- Supportive Care: Since it's a viral illness, treatment focuses on comfort -- pain relief, hydration, and monitoring -- rather than a specific antiviral treatment.
- Monitoring for Complications: Watching for signs of dehydration from reduced fluid intake due to mouth discomfort, and following up if symptoms don't follow the expected course.
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