Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease All information on the North Andover Public Schools website is for educational purposes only. Information on this website is not intended to be an endorsement of any organization or a replacement for professional medical advice. What is hand, foot and mouth disease? Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common illness of
infants and young children, most commonly caused by a virus called coxsackievirus. Symptoms
include mild fever, poor appetite, and a sore throat. One or 2 days after the fever begins, tiny
blisters develop in the mouth. A skin rash also develops over 1–2 days with flat or raised red spots,
some with blisters. The rash is not itchy and is usually found on the palms of the hands and soles
of the feet. Illness is usually mild and most people get better in 7–10 days. How do you catch hand, foot, and mouth disease? It is spread when the virus from stool or
saliva gets on hands or objects and then onto other people’s hands and into mouths. A person is
most contagious during the first week of the illness but they still can have the virus for many
weeks, especially in their stool. People usually get sick 3 to 7 days after being exposed to the
virus. How is hand, foot, and mouth disease diagnosed? Health care providers can tell if people have
hand, foot, and mouth disease by their symptoms. A laboratory test can be done on the throat or
stool to know for sure but since the testing often takes 2–4 weeks to obtain a final answer, these
tests are usually not ordered. How is hand, foot, and mouth disease treated? There is no specific treatment for hand, foot,
and mouth disease but your health care provider may suggest treatment to relieve some
symptoms. How do you stop the spread of hand, foot, and mouth disease?
A child with hand, foot, and mouth disease can return to
school as soon as he/she is fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of Tylenol or Ibuprofen) and
feels well enough to attend. |