Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common infection that causes mouth ulcers and spots on the hands and feet.
It’s most common in young children – particularly those under 10 – but can affect older children and adults as well.
Hand, foot and mouth disease can be unpleasant, but it will usually clear up by itself within 7 to 10 days. You can normally look after yourself or your child at home.
The infection is not related to foot and mouth disease, which affects cattle, sheep and pigs.
The symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease usually develop between 3 and 5 days after being exposed to the infection.
The first symptoms may include:
After 1 or 2 days, red spots appear on the tongue and inside the mouth.
These quickly develop into larger yellow-grey mouth ulcers with red edges.
The ulcers can be painful and make eating, drinking and swallowing difficult. They should pass within a week.
Soon after the mouth ulcers appear, you’ll probably notice a rash made up of small, raised red spots on the skin.
These typically develop on the fingers, the backs or palms of the hand, the soles of the feet, and occasionally on the buttocks and groin.
The spots may then turn into small blisters with a grey centre.
The spots and blisters can sometimes be itchy or uncomfortable and typically last up to 10 days.
If you have hand, foot and mouth disease, the best thing to do is to stay at home until you’re feeling better. There’s no cure for it, so you have to let it run its course.
There are things you can do to help ease your or your child’s symptoms.
You should keep your child away from nursery or school until they’re feeling better. Adults with the condition should stay away from work until they’re feeling better.
You don’t usually need medical attention if you think you or your child has hand, foot and mouth disease. The infection will usually pass in 7 to 10 days, and there isn’t much your doctor can do.
Antibiotics won’t help as hand, foot and mouth disease is caused by a virus.
If you’re unsure whether you or your child has hand, foot and mouth disease, you can phone 111 or your GP for advice.
Get advice from your GP if you’re pregnant and you become infected within a few weeks of your due date. Infection in pregnancy is usually nothing to worry about, but there’s a small chance it could make your baby ill if you’re infected shortly before you give birth.
Read more about the risks of hand, foot and mouth disease in pregnancy
Someone with hand, foot and mouth disease is most infectious from just before their symptoms start until they’re feeling better.
The infection can be spread by close person to person contact and contact with contaminated surfaces. The virus is found in:
The infection is caused by a number of different viruses, so it’s possible to get it more than once. Most people develop immunity to these viruses as they get older.
It’s not always possible to avoid getting hand, foot and mouth disease, but following this advice can help stop the infection spreading.
Last updated:
29 May 2023