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 we pick them up from school every afternoon. Now we are worried that the younger one might 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, hand, foot, and mouth disease becomes non-contagious after about a week of recovery. During this contagious period, it is not recommended for the child to attend kindergarten to avoid getting infected with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Children should be taught to wash their hands frequently, avoid drinking raw or cold water, eat less raw or cold food, and consume cooked food. The indoor environment should be well-ventilated to reduce the occurrence of hand, foot, and mouth disease.