If your child has a hand, foot, and mouth disease, you should notify them at day care or school as soon as possible. Children who are infected should stay home from day care or school until they are fever-free and have no open blisters. If your child’s symptoms are mild, you can take them to day care as soon as they are feeling better. If your child is experiencing symptoms, you should contact your child’s doctor or nurse to determine the best course of treatment.

Symptoms

Symptoms of hand foot and mouth disease may include an itchy rash, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and fever. Fluid-filled blisters can also form on the tongue or inner cheek. Young children may even become dehydrated because of the sores. The rash of hand foot and mouth disease is often accompanied by a fever and a sore throat. The sores can grow into blisters and may cause severe pain. Children usually only experience a few painful mouth sores during their childhood. The sores may start as tiny, red bumps on the tongue or in the mouth, but can appear anywhere in the mouth.

Transmission

Infected people can spread hand, foot, and mouth disease to others. The infection can be transmitted through close contact and faeces, or through objects and surfaces contaminated by an infected person’s faeces. If you or your child comes in contact with contaminated surfaces, like pool water, you may also pass the virus through a kiss. If you and your child come into contact with contaminated recreational water, you could potentially contract hand foot and mouth disease.

Treatment

The symptoms usually subside on their own within a week, or up to 10 days in some cases. However, if a child is experiencing a lot of pain due to the sores and ulcers, there can be painkillers taken or mouth numbing sprays/mouth ulcer gels to minimise pain.