Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is caused by a number of enteroviruses in the family Picornaviridae. One such virus is enterovirus 71. HFMD is not to be confused with foot-and-mouth disease, which is a disease affecting sheep, cattle and swine, and which is unrelated to HFMD (but also caused by a member of the Picornaviridae family).

HFMD usually affects infants and children, and is quite common. It is moderately contagious and is spread through direct contact with the mucus or feces of an infected person. It typically occurs in small epidemics in nursery schools or kindergartens, usually during the summer months.

Symptoms

Symptoms of HFMD include:

• fever
• rash in the mouth
• sores with blisters on palms of hands and soles of feet

Not all symptoms may be present.

Treatment

There is no specific treatment for HFMD. Individual symptoms such as fever and pain from the sores may be eased with the use of medication however.

Recorded outbreaks

1997 34 children died in an outbreeak in Sarawak, Malaysia