Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is an enterovirus-associated viral infection, with most cases attributed to enteroviruses within the Picornaviridae family ^[1]. It is described as a common childhood disease and is commonly seen in children five years of age or younger ^[1][2]. The available sources characterize it as a clinical syndrome rather than a single-pathogen entity, with multiple enteroviruses implicated ^[1].

The typical presentation includes fever, mucosal herpangina, oral ulcerations, and skin rashes on the hands and feet ^[1]. One review describes the oral findings as a painful oral enanthem with an asymptomatic exanthem on the palms and soles ^[2]. Most cases resolve without consequence, and one source notes usual recovery within 7 to 10 days without sequelae ^[1][2]. A minority of patients develop severe neurological and cardiopulmonary complications, which can be fatal; reported fatal pathways include circulatory failure secondary to myocardial impairment and neurogenic pulmonary edema secondary to brainstem damage ^[1][2].

HFMD is reported as a significant public-health issue worldwide and has received increasing global attention over the past two decades ^[1]. It commonly affects young children, especially those five years of age or younger ^[1][2]. The sources state that the disease has the potential to reach epidemic levels and that mortality is high in some countries, but they do not provide region-specific incidence estimates in the supplied material ^[2]. Emerging enterovirus infections, including EV-D68, EV-A71, coxsackieviruses, and echoviruses, are noted as part of the broader surveillance context for HFMD ^[1].

The provided sources identify enteroviruses as the leading causes of most HFMD cases, but they do not specify a detailed transmission route or exposure mechanism ^[1]. Source-backed detail on duration of infectiousness, environmental persistence, or specific person-to-person spread pathways is not yet available in the supplied material ^[1][2].

Young children are the principal affected group, with children five years of age or younger most commonly reported ^[1][2]. The supplied sources do not provide additional source-backed high-risk categories such as pregnancy status, immunocompromise, or occupational exposure ^[1][2].

The review literature emphasizes preventive strategies and states that developing efficacious vaccines has become a priority because there is not adequate treatment for EV infections ^[1]. It also highlights the need for a vigilant global surveillance system for enterovirus infections worldwide ^[1]. Specific non-pharmaceutical prevention measures, vaccine schedules, or exposure-control recommendations are not described in the supplied snippets and are therefore not stated here ^[1].

In surveillance settings, HFMD should be read as a common, usually self-limited enteroviral syndrome of early childhood that may occasionally signal severe neurologic or cardiopulmonary disease ^[1][2]. Because the disease can reach epidemic levels and its impact is described as increasing globally, trend monitoring and event-based awareness are important ^[1][2]. The supplied sources support attention to evolving enterovirus ecology, including EV-A71, EV-D68, coxsackieviruses, and echoviruses, but do not provide operational case definitions or reporting thresholds ^[1].

1. 1 Huang CY et al. A review of enterovirus-associated hand-foot and mouth disease: preventive strategies and the need for a global enterovirus surveillance network. Pathog Glob Health. 2024 Oct-Dec. PMID: 39229797. doi: 10.1080/20477724.2024.2400424. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39229797/
2. 2 Leung AKC et al. Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: A Narrative Review. Recent Adv Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov. 2022. PMID: 36284392. doi: 10.2174/1570180820666221024095837. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36284392/
3. 3 Hardin J et al. Onychomadesis: literature review. Br J Dermatol. 2015 Mar. PMID: 25132198. doi: 10.1111/bjd.13339. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25132198/
4. 4 Hand‐Foot‐Mouth Disease. Encyclopedia of Special Education. 2014. doi: 10.1002/9781118660584.ese1082. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118660584.ese1082
5. 5 Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease. Radiology of Infectious Diseases: Volume 1. 2015. doi: 10.1007/978-94-017-9882-2_17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9882-2_17
6. 6 Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease. Pediatric Practice Guidelines. 2020. doi: 10.1891/9780826185235.0012e. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826185235.0012e

ICD-10

B08.4

ICD-11

KA05.40

Total cases

31.3M

Total deaths

3K

Peak month

2014-05

Coverage

2 reporting countries · 2010-01-01 → 2026-06-20