Cause
Certain strains of the Group A coxsackieviruses cause this disease.
Symptoms
Symptoms include fever (usually mild) and malaise, followed by a characteristic rash: red bumps and/or blisters on the hands and feet, along with blisters and ulcers on the tongue and the inner linings of the cheeks. Most outbreaks occur during summer and fall.
How It Spreads
It spreads person-to-person through stool and respiratory fluids.
Incubation Period
The incubation period is four to six days.
How Long Symptoms Last
Symptoms last four to seven days. Mouth pain is usually gone by about four days; mouth blisters are usually gone within one week.
When to Call Your Child’s Doctor
Call your child’s doctor if your child develops a rash on the hands and feet and blisters or ulcers in the mouth. Call the doctor if your child will not eat or drink, shows signs of dehydration, or has fever for more than three days.
How the Diagnosis Is Made
The doctor observes the characteristic rash and mouth lesions.
Home Treatment
Nonprescription drugs such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) can be given to reduce fever or mouth and throat soreness. Do not give aspirin. Fluids such as water, ice chips, fruit ices, or cool gelatin can help relieve a sore mouth or throat. Avoid giving your child acidic, hot, or spicy foods that may irritate a sore mouth.
Prevention
Encourage your child to wash his hands after going to the bathroom and blowing his nose and before and after eating. If changing the diaper of your child with the virus, make sure to wash your hands afterward. Also, wash your child’s towels and sheets.
Complications
A child can become dehydrated from inadequate fluid intake due to mouth pain. Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) and membranes covering the brain and spinal cord (meningitis) can occur.