Nursery World - A Unique Child: Health - A doctor's diary ... Hand, foot and mouth disease

'Doctor, my child has a rash! He's well in himself, but I have no idea what it is. Should I keep him away from nursery?'

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common and highly contagious viral infection. Its cause belongs to the entero- virus family and is known by doctors as the coxsackie virus.

Foot and mouth disease in cows is a completely separate entity.

Children under the age of ten are particularly affected. While adults tend to have immunity, hand, foot and mouth disease may still occur in teenagers and adults, albeit mildly.

The incubation period - that is, the time from exposure to the virus to the development of symptoms -is between three and five days. This relatively long incubation period can make it difficult to establish who the virus was contracted from.

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included