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Hand,
Foot and Mouth Disease |
FACT SHEET
Anyone can get hand, foot, and mouth disease
Young children are primarily affected, but it may be seen in adults. Most cases occur in the summer and early fall. Outbreaks may occur among groups of children especially in day care centers or nursery schools. The incubation period is usually 3-5 days.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is usually spread through person-to-person contact
The virus is spread primarily from the feces of infected persons to the mouth of the next person. It is spread also by the respiratory tract from mouth or respiratory secretions, by person-to-person contact, and from saliva on hands or toys. Direct contact with the skin blisters may also spread the virus.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease can be shed for several weeks
People can spread the disease when they are shedding the virus. The primary means of transmission is from the feces. The virus can be shed for several weeks after the onset of infection. The virus is also shed from the mouth and throat when a person has cold-like symptoms. The virus has also been found in the fluid from the skin blisters. Greatest communicability is during the acute phase/stage of illness when people are feeling ill.
There is no specific treatment for the virus that causes hand, foot, and mouth disease
Help prevent and control the spread of hand, foot, and mouth disease by:
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Washing hands
well, especially after going to the bathroom, changing diapers
and handling diapers or other stool-soiled material
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Covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
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Washing toys and other surfaces that have saliva on them
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Children should be excluded from child care or school settings if there is a fever and/or ulcers in the mouth, that is, when the child may be feeling ill
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If blisters/lesions are open and weeping, children should be excluded from child care settings until the blisters are dried and crusted
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