Are you contagious with hand foot and mouth before symptoms

Parents often ask 'Is hand foot and mouth disease contagious?' Unfortunately, it is.

Table of Contents Show

Dr. Greene’s Answer:
Check if it's hand, foot and mouth disease
If you're not sure your child has hand, foot and mouth disease
How to treat hand, foot and mouth disease yourself
A pharmacist can help with hand, foot and mouth disease
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:
How to stop hand, foot and mouth disease spreading
Staying off school or nursery
Hand, foot and mouth disease in pregnancy
How long are you contagious with hand
Can HFMD spread during incubation period?

Question

We just figured out the boys both have Hand/Foot/Mouth disease which is no big deal. The issue is that Chantal’s mom just came home from the hospital after having total knee replacement surgery on Monday. Should we ALL stay away from seeing her? If yes, for how long? Or it doesn’t matter because it is not like she was sick?
Shane Valentine

Dr. Greene’s Answer:

Most adults — but not all — have already had Hand Foot and Mouth and are not at risk. There are a few different strains of viruses that cause Hand Foot and Mouth though, so having had the illness once isn’t a guarantee. This leads many parents to ask, ‘Is hand foot and mouth disease contagious?’

Kids may be contagious just by being in the same room while they have a fever and for up to 24 hours after. The saliva can contain the virus for up to 2-3 weeks. The stool can contain the virus for 3-8 weeks or even more. Studies in daycare show that the great majority of spread, though, happens in the first 7 days of symptoms.

I don’t recommend keeping kids out of school beyond 24 hours after fever – because there are likely several kids in class with it anyway without the fever, who don’t even know they have it. Keeping kids out doesn’t appreciably change the spread.

But I do recommend keeping kids with Hand Foot and Mouth away from vulnerable adults, if possible:

Affected kids should not be in the same room as vulnerable adults if they have a fever, plus 24 hours after the fever is gone.
Affected kids should not share the same food or utensils with vulnerable adults while any sores are still present in the mouth or on the body.
Vulnerable adults should not change diapers or aid with toileting assistance in affected kids for two months.
Everyone should implement good hand-washing all the way around, after using the toilet and before eating or drinking or putting hands in the mouth.

If others in the family do get sick, the first symptoms usually occur 3-5 days after getting the virus – and they become contagious about the same time (unlike chickenpox, where you are contagious 24-48 hours before symptoms).

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Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common childhood illness that can also affect adults. It usually gets better on its own in 7 to 10 days.

Check if it's hand, foot and mouth disease

The first signs of hand, foot and mouth disease can be:

a sore throat
a high temperature
not wanting to eat

After a few days mouth ulcers and a rash will appear.

Ulcers appear in the mouth and on the tongue. These can be painful and make it difficult to eat or drink.

Raised spots usually appear on the hands and feet, and sometimes on the thighs and bottom as well. The spots can look pink, red, or darker than surrounding skin, depending on your skin tone.

The spots become blisters which appear grey or lighter than surrounding skin and can be painful.

The symptoms are usually the same in adults and children, but they can be worse in babies and children under 5.

It's possible to get hand, foot and mouth disease more than once.

If you're not sure your child has hand, foot and mouth disease

Look at other childhood rashes.

Information:

Hand, foot and mouth disease has nothing to do with foot and mouth disease that affects farm animals.

How to treat hand, foot and mouth disease yourself

You cannot take antibiotics or medicines to cure hand, foot and mouth disease. It usually gets better on its own in 7 to 10 days.

To help the symptoms:

drink fluids to prevent dehydration – avoid acidic drinks, such as fruit juice
eat soft foods like yoghurt – avoid hot and spicy foods
take paracetamol or ibuprofen to help ease a sore mouth or throat

A pharmacist can help with hand, foot and mouth disease

Speak to a pharmacist for advice about treatments, such as mouth ulcer gels, sprays and mouthwashes, to relieve pain.

They can tell you which ones are suitable for children.

Find a pharmacy

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

your symptoms or your child's symptoms do not improve after 7 to 10 days
you or your child has a very high temperature, or feels hot and shivery
you're worried about your child's symptoms
your child is dehydrated – they're not peeing as often as usual
you're pregnant and get hand, foot and mouth disease

Hand, foot and mouth disease can be spread to other people.

Check with your GP surgery before going. They may suggest a phone consultation.

How to stop hand, foot and mouth disease spreading

Hand, foot and mouth disease is easily passed on to other people. It's spread in coughs, sneezes, poo and the fluid in the blisters.

You can start spreading it from a few days before you have any symptoms, but you're most likely to spread it to others in the first 5 days after symptoms start.

To reduce the risk of spreading hand, foot and mouth disease:

wash your hands often with soap and water – and children's hands too
use tissues to trap germs when you cough or sneeze
bin used tissues as quickly as possible
do not share towels or household items like cups or cutlery
wash soiled bedding and clothing on a hot wash

Staying off school or nursery

Keep your child off school or nursery while they're feeling unwell.

But as soon as they're feeling better, they can go back to school or nursery. There's no need to wait until all the blisters have healed.

Keeping your child away from other children for longer is unlikely to stop the illness spreading.

Hand, foot and mouth disease in pregnancy

Although there's usually no risk to the pregnancy or baby, it's best to avoid close contact with anyone who has hand, foot and mouth disease.

This is because:

having a high temperature during the first 3 months of pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, although this is very rare
getting hand, foot and mouth disease shortly before giving birth can mean your baby is born with a mild version of it

Speak to a GP or your midwife if you have been in contact with someone with hand, foot and mouth disease.

Page last reviewed: 12 February 2021
Next review due: 12 February 2024

How long are you contagious with hand

“Children are usually considered contagious two days before the rash appears and until two days after the rash goes away,” Dr.

Can HFMD spread during incubation period?

Individuals with Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease (HFMD) can be contagious during the incubation period (about three to six days) before symptoms develop and may remain contagious for days or weeks after the symptoms and signs abate.