Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD)
Did you know HFMD mostly affects children under 10 but can also affect teens?
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is a viral illness that affects children and causes painful sores. Learn about causes, symptoms, and treatments for HFMD in babies. What is Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD)?
HFMD is a viral illness that affects children and can cause painful sores on the hands, feet, and mouth. Children between the ages of two and six are most commonly affected, but the disease can also affect teens and adults with weakened immune systems.
Causes of HFMD in babies:
- HFMD is caused by viruses such as A16, A10, or A6 Coxsackievirus, Enterovirus 71 (EV-71), or viruses belonging to the Picornaviridae family.
- Warm weather accelerates its spread in fall and summer.
- The virus first infects tissue in the mouth near the tonsils and then the digestive system. It then travels through the blood to other parts of the body.
Symptoms of HFMD:
- HFMD symptoms include fever, sore throat, lack of appetite, lethargy, and red, blistering rash on the palms, soles, and sometimes buttocks.
- Sores in the mouth or throat can appear one or two days after the fever first appears.
- Hands and feet, and even the buttocks, may develop a rash within one or two days.
