What is hand, foot and mouth disease?
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a contagious condition caused by a virus. It is accompanied by painful small blisters on the palms, soles and in the mouth. It occurs from time to time in small epidemics, especially in young children.
How does it develop?
Hand, foot and mouth disease is caused by viruses, usually enterovirus 71 or coxsackievirus A16. The condition is very contagious, and infection takes place mainly through the air (coughing).
What does it look like?
It is characterised by small (2–5 mm) blisters in the mouth that break fairly easily and so cause small superficial damage to the lining, often resembling mouth ulcers. These spots in the mouth are often painful and make eating and drinking difficult when they occur in large numbers. Shortly after the mouth spots have appeared, small blisters arise on the palms and soles (varying in number from 5 to more than 100). First small red spots appear, which develop into small blisters with a red rim around them. The blisters are often painful. Eventually all the blisters disappear again after about a week without scarring.
Who gets it?
Young children (up to about 10 years) in particular are susceptible to hand, foot and mouth disease. The condition is very contagious and is therefore often seen in small epidemics, with outbreaks registered mainly in the summer months.
How is it treated?
If there are many painful spots in the mouth, a numbing gel can sometimes be prescribed by your doctor. In rare cases the virus can also cause serious features such as neurological complaints. The great majority of cases, however, heal spontaneously and without problems within about 10 days.
When to see a doctor
See your GP if a child is not drinking because of painful mouth blisters and shows signs of dehydration, if there is high or persistent fever, or if the child becomes drowsy, very unwell, or develops a stiff neck or breathing difficulty — seek urgent care in that case. Pregnant women exposed to the virus should mention it to their midwife or doctor.