Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious infection most often caused by a virus known as coxsackievirus. The illness can spread from person-to-person through direct contact. The condition is mild and will normally go away, without treatment, within a week to 10 days. Here’s a closer look at the symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease.
Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease can begin to occur three to seven days after the initial infection—this period is called the incubation period.
When symptoms present themselves, you or your child may experience:
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Irritability
- Painful, red blisters in the mouth
- Red rash on the hands and the soles of the feet
The first symptoms are usually a fever and sore throat. The blisters and rashes tend to show up later about one or two days after the fever develops—the fever should last only a few days. Typically, symptoms are mild.
Although the infection is minor, you should still alert your doctor if your child or infant is sick. Your doctor can give you advice on how to manage the symptoms.
The mouth sores can make drinking difficult. If your child isn’t drinking fluid or if your infant hasn’t had a wet diaper in 6+ hours, contact your doctor.
In rare cases, an infected person may develop viral meningitis which is characterized by fever, headache, stiff neck, or back pain and the person may need to be hospitalized for a few days. Other, even more rare, complications can include polio-like paralysis, or encephalitis (brain inflammation) which can be fatal.
