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It’s one of the most common childhood viruses, but just what is hand, foot and mouth disease and what happens if you get it as an adult?

It may be typically associated with young children, but hand, foot and mouth disease is not only a childhood disease – it can affect adults as well. Children under 10 years of age are most at risk due to the close contact within childcare and school environments, and while the disease is usually mild, it is also highly contagious. So what should you do if you contract the disease as an adult?

What To Look For

When it comes to looking for symptoms of the disease, it’s all in the name. If you’ve got small, red blisters appearing on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet, chances are you’ve got the infection and can expect them to last 7-10 days. Young children may also have a low fever, feel lethargic or lose their appetite for a couple of days. The virus can be spread from the faeces of an infected person to the mouth of another person via contaminated hands (how glamorous), through excretions from the mouth and respiratory system, and as a result of direct contact with the fluid from the blisters. Even though it all sounds a bit icky, there are some precautions you can take to prevent the disease and important things to bear in mind when treating it.

hfmd

What To Do About It

It’s pretty self-explanatory, but if you want to avoid HFMD start by washing your hands! Good hygiene is the best defence against the infection, so use soap and warm water after using the bathroom, eating, changing nappies and wiping your child’s nose. The blisters will dry out naturally, so avoid the temptation to burst them and only use paracetamol in case of a fever. If you have HFMD yourself, stay home from work – it’s just not worth the risk of spreading the infection to others. Take time off until the rash is gone completely. Children who are infected should be kept home from school, and it’s always a good idea to report it to the childcare centre or school so they are informed.

HMFD is a relatively harmless illness that most children, and some adults, but it’s important to remember that if you or your child experiences high fever, rapid breathing, excessive tiredness or difficulty walking, you should see a doctor immediately.

Have you contracted HFMD as an adult? Share your story in the comments.

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  • I’m glad to say it’s not an illness that has affected my family or myself. Not a nice thing to have by the sounds of it either

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  • I am so glad that this disease hasn’t affected my family. It doesn’t sound very nice.

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  • HFMD was going around my daughter’s daycare, which I was not told, and I got it from her. She loved to stick her fingers in my mouth and feel my teeth when she was little. It was terrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. She didn’t have any sores that I could see, but I sure did. She just had a fever and was a bit off for a couple days. I was quite sick and had a lot of sores…ick.

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  • Never had it, but I just had shingles! I thought this was a disease from so long ago but know of a few kids who have had it over time. Never heard of an adult with it though. I would expect not going to work would be the best and safest option.

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  • Never had it but a friend of mine had it once.

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  • I got it off my son, it’s unpleasant honestly. Stay safe all!

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  • My son had HFMD twice is 6 months from his daycare, I was so annoyed the 2nd time as he was so sore from the blisters in his mouth. Luckily I didn’t contract it but it’s not a fun illnesse for anyone

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  • My 2 year old son contracted HFMD and was ill with a fever for 2 days before blisters started to show. We are now on day 7 and the blisters are still evident around his mouth.
    Unfortunately I contracted the disease with the following symptoms over the first 7 days;
    Day 1 -3 itchy/flakey forehead
    Day 4 – Fever, sore throat, headache (Off Work)
    Day 5 – Still fell unwell with Blisters on face, nose, hands and feet now appearing (Off work)
    Day 6 – 7 – Feel fine, but blisters seem to becoming larger & are uncomfortable (Week end)

    Hopefully the blisters improve on day 8 to allow me to return to work, although I have a wedding to attend on day 10 – I will have to make a judgement call tomorrow (day 8) on weather I can attend, which is looking unlikely at this stage

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  • My youngest got it, strangely enough we dhome school so I don’t know where she got it

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  • I never had this kind of illness.

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  • I haven’t had it as an adult but it does go through the school yard from time to time.

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  • No you can’t go to work until the blisters dry up!

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  • I’m happy to say that no-one I know has ever had it and it’s more annoying than anything else.

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  • I actually thought this disease was from the olden days but since having become a parent I’ve started to hear about it in children.

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  • Knock on wood, we’ve never had it, but it’s going around Victoria at the moment

    Reply

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