Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral infection that causes painful red blisters in the mouth and throat, and on the hands, feet, and diaper area. The most common cause of HFMD is infection from coxsackievirus 16, which belongs to a group of viruses called nonpolio enteroviruses. Other types of enteroviruses can also cause HFMD. The illness is highly contagious and easily spreads through contact with unwashed hands, feces (poop), saliva (spit), mucus from the nose, or fluid from the blisters. The viruses that cause HFMD are highly contagious, and the infection often spreads before a person realizes they’re sick. The following are the ways HFMD can spread:

• Person-to-person contact
• Droplets made when a person who is sick with HFMD sneezes, coughs, or talks
• Contact with contaminated surfaces and objects

HFMD is most common in young children under age 5 years, but teenagers or adults may also get the virus. Most outbreaks occur in the summer and fall. Symptoms of HFMD usually go away without treatment in 5 to 7 days.