Patient's question:
We have two children at home. The older one is currently attending school, but recently, several children at the kindergarten have been infected with hand, foot, and mouth disease. However, the older one is still attending school, and they are picked up from school every afternoon. Now, we are worried whether the younger one will be affected. How long is hand, foot, and mouth disease contagious?Doctor's answer:
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a contagious illness. If one child is infected, the younger sibling will definitely get infected as well. Generally, after one week of treatment, hand, foot, and mouth disease is no longer contagious. During this infectious period, it is not recommended for the child to go to kindergarten to avoid getting infected with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Children should be taught to wash their hands frequently, avoid drinking raw and cold water, eat less raw and cold food, and consume only cooked food. The indoor environment should be well-ventilated to reduce the occurrence of hand, foot, and mouth disease.