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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Hand, foot, and mouth disease is common in children under 5 years old, but anyone can get it.

The illness is usually not serious, but it is very contagious. It spreads quickly at schools and day care centers.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease spreads easily.

Symptoms can include mouth sores, skin rash, and more.

Most people can be treated at home.

Not the Same as Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is often confused with foot-and-mouth disease (also called hoof-and-mouth disease), which affects cows, sheep, and pigs.

Humans do not get the animal disease, and animals do not get the human disease.

Visit the National Agricultural Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to learn more about Foot-and-Mouth Diseaseexternal icon .

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Learn more about Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

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Hand, foot, and mouth disease is common in children under 5 years old, but anyone can get it. The illness is usually not serious, but it is very contagious. It spreads quickly at schools and day care centers. Hand, foot, and mouth disease spreads easily. Symptoms can include mouth sores, skin rash, and more.

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"Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is usually a mild illness young children get. A virus known as coxsackievirus is the main cause. The infection spreads by person-to-person contact and is common in child care settings." Read more...

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"Healthcare providers can usually tell if someone has HFMD by examining the patient and the rash appearance while considering the patient’s age and other symptoms.

Sometimes, healthcare providers might collect samples from the patient’s throat or feces (poop) and send them to a laboratory to test for the virus. However, these tests are rarely done." Read more...

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Coxsackievirus

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Fever and flu-like symptoms

Mouth sores

Skin rash

Read more...

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Prevention

Always wash your and your children's hands.

Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth.

Clean and disinfect regularly.

There is no vaccine in the United States to protect against the viruses that cause HFMD. Researchers are working to develop vaccines to help prevent HFMD in the future. Read more...

Treatment

Most people with hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) get better on their own in 7 to 10 days. There is no specific medical treatment for HFMD.

But what you can do it...

Take over-the-counter medications to relieve fever and pain caused by mouth sores.

These medications can include acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Never give aspirin to children.

Drink enough liquids. Read more...

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Arising Concerns of Atypical Manifestations in Patients with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

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Arising Concerns of Atypical Manifestations in Patients with Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

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"Atypical cases of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) are observed globally, with higher incidences in regions with subtropical and tropical climates like Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Coastal areas in China have reported significant cases due to environmental factors like high humidity and temperatures. Atypical HFMD cases are also documented in North America, South America, and Europe, including countries like the United States, Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Portugal, and Italy. However, Africa experiences fewer cases, possibly due to the absence of major outbreaks caused by specific viral agents and limited real-time public health surveillance systems." Read more...

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Yu Chen, MPH, PhD

Professor Department of Population Health

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Mayo Clinic Minute: Hand, foot and mouth disease in kids

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Is common this time of year - late winter / early spring.

Usually afflicts children 5 years old and younger, but is also seen in older kids and sometimes in adults.

Is in no way related to the disease that affects cattle - hoof and mouth disease.

Is highly contagious, including the few days before any symptoms appear. Read more...

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Affiliated Foot & Ankle Center. (2018, March 29). Fast facts about hand, foot and mouth disease. https://www.footdoctorsnj.com/news/2018/3/29/fast-facts-about-hand-foot-and-mouth-disease

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023a, May 11). Hand, foot, and mouth disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/hand-foot-mouth/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023b, May 11). Prevention of hand, foot, and mouth disease. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/hand-foot-mouth/about/prevention.html

Mayo Clinic Minute: Hand, foot and Mouth Disease in kids. YouTube. (2022, August 18). https://youtu.be/Tv1v-rMiK4A?si=LjxDV956r1DylD-m

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (n.d.). Hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hand-foot-and-mouth-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20353035

Yu Chen, MPH, Phd. Education & Research at NYU Langone Health. (n.d.). https://med.nyu.edu/faculty/yu-chen