On this page
Dr. Chrysoula I. Liakou MD, PhD
- Treated online: Yes, for diagnosis and symptom relief. There is no cure, and antibiotics do not help, but the illness usually clears on its own.
- Usual course: a sore throat, fever and loss of appetite come first, then mouth ulcers and a rash a few days later; most people are better in 7 to 10 days.
- Contagious: from a few days before symptoms start, and most in the first 5 days; you can catch it more than once.
- See a doctor: if symptoms have not improved after 7 to 10 days, if you are pregnant, or if you have a very high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery.
- Emergency: call 112 for a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion, a seizure or new weakness in an arm or leg, which are rare but serious.
Do not book a video appointment if you have a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion, a seizure or new weakness in an arm or leg: call 112. These complications are very rare, but they mean the virus may have reached the brain or its lining. If you cannot keep any fluids down and are passing very little urine, get in-person care quickly.
Can an online doctor help with hand, foot and mouth disease?
Yes. The illness is recognised from its pattern, mouth ulcers with spots on the hands and feet, and that pattern shows well on camera. There is no cure and antibiotics do not help, so the consultation is about confirming the diagnosis, easing the pain, keeping you drinking, and spotting the rare complications early. If you need to be examined in person, the doctor tells you where to go.
How an online consultation helps with hand, foot and mouth disease
- A clear diagnosis: On camera, the doctor looks at the ulcers and the spots on your hands, feet and elsewhere, and tells you whether they fit hand, foot and mouth disease or something else, such as chickenpox.
- Pain relief that suits you: The doctor asks about your other medicines and conditions before suggesting painkillers and treatments for mouth ulcers.
- Fluids checked: Painful ulcers can make drinking hard. The doctor checks how much you are drinking and passing urine.
- Advice on protecting others: How the virus spreads at home and at work, and what to do if someone close to you is pregnant.
What the doctor checks in an online consultation
The consultation follows a fixed order, and the warning signs come first. The doctor asks about:
- Warning signs: a severe headache, a stiff neck, back pain, confusion, weakness or a seizure.
- Fluids: how much you can drink and how often you pass urine.
- The rash and ulcers: where they are, when they started, and whether the spots have blistered.
- Your temperature: how high it has been, and for how long.
- Pregnancy and your health: pregnancy, a weakened immune system, and the medicines you take.
- Contacts: whether children or others around you have the same illness.
Before the call, find a spot with good light so you can show the inside of your mouth and the spots on camera, and have a list of your medicines to hand.
Hand, foot and mouth disease symptoms
Hand, foot and mouth disease is a common illness caused by enteroviruses, most often coxsackievirus A16. About 95% of cases are in children under 5, and healthy adults catch it less often, usually from a child at home, but the symptoms are similar at any age. They start 3 to 6 days after catching the virus and come in two waves.
The first days
- a sore throat
- a high temperature, above 38°C
- not feeling like eating, and feeling tired
A few days later
- painful ulcers in the mouth, often starting as small red spots on the tongue and inside the mouth
- a raised rash on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, and sometimes on the groin, buttocks, legs and arms
- spots that turn into blisters, which can be painful
On white skin the rash looks pink or red. On brown or black skin it may be darker than the surrounding skin and harder to see, and blisters can look grey or paler than the skin around them. The rash is usually not itchy.
An atypical form causes a more widespread rash, with large blisters, crusted spots or spots in unusual places, such as the ears. Enterovirus 71, another cause, is linked to more severe illness, including meningitis.
Hand, foot and mouth disease is not the same as foot and mouth disease, which affects farm animals.
How long does hand, foot and mouth disease last?
Most people are better within 7 to 10 days. This is the usual course:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Stage | When | Contagious? |
|---|---|---|
| Catching the virus | Day 0 | Not yet |
| Fever, sore throat and feeling unwell | About 3 to 5 days later | Yes, from a few days before symptoms start |
| Mouth ulcers and the rash | A few days after the fever | Yes, most in the first 5 days of symptoms |
| Getting better | Usually within 7 to 10 days | Less, but good hygiene still matters |
Signs that you are getting better
The fever settles first. The mouth ulcers heal and eating gets easier, and the blisters dry out within a few days and peel within about a week, without scarring. If you are not improving after 7 to 10 days, or the fever lasts more than 3 days or gets worse, see a doctor.
How hand, foot and mouth disease spreads, and how to protect others
The virus spreads easily, through coughs and sneezes, through faeces, and through the fluid in the blisters. You can pass it on from a few days before you feel ill, and you are most infectious in the first 5 days after symptoms start. The virus stays in faeces and saliva for several weeks, and faeces can be infectious for up to a month after the illness, so keep washing your hands after the toilet even once you feel well.
You can catch it more than once. One infection gives lasting protection against that particular virus, but several enteroviruses cause the illness, and a different one can cause a second episode, which is usually milder.
How to stop it spreading
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after using the toilet and before preparing food.
- Use tissues when you cough or sneeze, and put them straight in the bin.
- Do not share towels, cups or cutlery.
- Wash soiled bedding and clothing on a hot wash.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces and objects that are touched often, such as door handles, taps and toys.
- Avoid close contact, such as kissing and hugging, while you are unwell.
- Keep away from anyone who is pregnant while you are unwell.
If you work with food or look after young children or people who are unwell, tell your employer, and stay at home while you feel ill.
How to treat hand, foot and mouth disease
There is no medicine that cures it, and antibiotics do not help, because a virus causes it. Self-care eases the pain while your body clears the infection:
Do
- Drink cool fluids to soothe your mouth and to avoid dehydration, sipping through a straw if it hurts.
- Eat soft, cool foods, such as yoghurt, soup that has cooled, mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, smoothies or ice cream.
- Rinse your mouth with warm salty water.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for a sore mouth or throat, as the leaflet describes.
- Ask a pharmacist about mouth ulcer gels, sprays and mouthwashes.
- Keep blisters clean, let them dry naturally, and cover any that rub with a non-stick dressing.
Don’t
- drink acidic drinks, such as fruit juice, or eat citrus fruit, which sting the ulcers
- pierce or pop the blisters
- eat hot, salty or spicy food while your mouth is sore
- ask for antibiotics: they do not work against viruses
Is it hand, foot and mouth disease or chickenpox?
Both cause spots and blisters with a fever, but the pattern is different:
Swipe sideways to compare →
| Hand, foot and mouth disease | Chickenpox | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the spots are | Mostly the palms, soles and mouth, sometimes the groin, buttocks, legs and arms | Anywhere on the body, including inside the mouth |
| Itch | Usually not itchy | Very itchy blisters |
| What the spots do | Spots can blister | Spots blister, burst and then scab over |
| How long it lasts | Usually 7 to 10 days | Usually 1 to 2 weeks |
Chickenpox can be serious for some adults, and some can take an antiviral medicine that has to be started within 24 hours of the spots appearing. The chickenpox page explains when.
Which hand, foot and mouth disease treatment might the doctor recommend?
Treatment depends on how unwell you are. This is the framework the doctors use, in line with NHS and CDC guidance.
Swipe sideways to compare →
| What you have | Likely first step | Suitable for online care? | When in-person care is needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mouth ulcers and a rash, drinking well | Pain relief, mouth ulcer treatments and fluids | Yes | Not usually needed |
| Ulcers so painful you are drinking little | A plan to keep fluids up, and stronger pain control | Yes | If you cannot keep fluids down or pass very little urine |
| No improvement after 7 to 10 days | A review of the diagnosis | Yes | If the doctor needs to examine you |
| Pregnant, with symptoms or after contact | Advice and a plan with your midwife | Yes, to assess | If your midwife or doctor wants to see you |
| Severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion or weakness | Emergency assessment | No | Call 112 now |
Not sure if it is hand, foot and mouth disease? A doctor can tell you in one consultation.
See available times →Treatment options for hand, foot and mouth disease
What you can do yourself
- Sip cool drinks often, even when swallowing hurts.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain and fever. Ibuprofen does not suit everyone, including people with a stomach ulcer, kidney problems or heart failure.
- Use a mouth ulcer gel, spray or mouthwash from a pharmacy.
- Rest until the fever settles.
Prescription treatment
A prescription is never issued without a consultation. Most people need no prescription, because the illness clears on its own. If the ulcers stop you eating and drinking, the doctor can suggest stronger pain relief that suits your other medicines. If blisters become infected, the doctor can treat the infection. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
What does not help
Antibiotics do not work against the virus, and popping blisters only raises the risk of infection. Keeping away from others for longer than you need to does little to stop the spread; washing your hands does more.
Special situations
Pregnancy
Hand, foot and mouth disease usually poses no risk to the pregnancy or the baby. Avoid close contact with anyone who has it, and speak to your midwife or a doctor if you have been in contact with it or have symptoms. Catching it shortly before birth can mean the baby is born with a mild form of the illness.
Lines in the nails, or losing a nail
About 2 months after the illness, lines can appear across the fingernails or toenails, and a nail may come away. This is linked mainly to coxsackievirus A6, and the nails return to normal as they grow.
When a child in the family has it
Adults can catch it from a child in the household. The same hygiene steps protect everyone: hand washing, tissues and not sharing towels or cups.
Children
Mobi Doctor consultations are for adults aged 18 and over. A child who is unwell needs a paediatrician or a local doctor in person, and emergency signs in a child mean 112.
When hand, foot and mouth disease is treated online, and when you need in-person care
Treated online: confirming the diagnosis, pain relief, mouth ulcer treatments, keeping fluids up, advice on spreading it, and advice in pregnancy.
In-person care: dehydration you cannot manage at home, symptoms that keep getting worse, and any sign of the rare complications, such as a severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion or weakness.
When to get in-person care
Call 112 or go to an emergency department now for:
- a severe headache with a stiff neck or back pain
- confusion, unusual drowsiness or a seizure
- new weakness in an arm or leg
- difficulty breathing
Get medical advice the same day for:
- a very high temperature, or feeling hot, cold or shivery
- a fever that lasts more than 3 days or keeps rising
- blisters that ooze pus, or skin around them that turns very red
- drinking very little or passing much less urine than usual
- symptoms that are getting worse rather than better
How Mobi Doctor works
- Book a time that suits you: daily 7am–11pm CEST. You can see a doctor over video, usually within 15 minutes. No subscription, and the exact price is shown before you pay.
- Speak to a licensed doctor about hand, foot and mouth disease: show the spots and the inside of your mouth on camera in good light, and say when the symptoms started.
- Leave with a plan: what to do, what to take and for how long, and which signs mean you should be seen in person. If the doctor prescribes, use the prescription at a pharmacy near you.
No sign-up needed
Not sure it’s hand, foot and mouth disease? Tick every symptom you have to see each condition page that mentions it. It finds the right page, not a diagnosis: a doctor gives you that on a video call.
Tap the body — an area or a point — to browse symptoms anywhere
Similar symptoms, different condition? Chickenpox can start the same way. Compare them, or look up any other symptom in the full symptom checker.
Frequently asked questions about hand, foot and mouth disease
What is hand, foot and mouth disease?
A common, usually mild illness caused by enteroviruses, most often coxsackievirus A16. It causes a sore throat and fever, then painful mouth ulcers and a rash on the hands and feet, and it usually clears on its own within 7 to 10 days.
How does hand, foot and mouth disease start?
Usually with a sore throat, a fever above 38°C, not wanting to eat and feeling tired, 3 to 6 days after catching the virus. Painful mouth ulcers and a rash on the hands and feet follow a day or two later.
What causes hand, foot and mouth disease, and how do you catch it?
Hand, foot and mouth disease is caused by enteroviruses, most often coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus 71, which spread in droplets from coughs and sneezes, in saliva and blister fluid, on hands and surfaces, and in faeces for weeks after the illness. Adults usually catch it from a child at home or at nursery, and outbreaks peak in late summer and autumn. It has nothing to do with foot-and-mouth disease in animals.
Can adults get hand, foot and mouth disease?
Yes. It is most common in young children, but anyone can catch it, and the symptoms are the same in adults: a sore throat and fever, then painful mouth ulcers and a rash on the hands and feet. Adults can catch it from a child at home.
How long is hand, foot and mouth disease contagious?
You can pass hand, foot and mouth disease on from a few days before symptoms appear, and you are most contagious in the first 5 days after they start. The virus stays in faeces for up to a month, so keep washing your hands after the toilet even once you feel well.
What does hand, foot and mouth disease look like?
Painful ulcers in the mouth, and a raised rash of spots on the palms and soles, sometimes on the groin, bottom, legs and arms. The spots look pink, red or darker than the skin around them, and can turn into grey or pale blisters.
How long does hand, foot and mouth disease last in adults?
Most adults with hand, foot and mouth disease are better within 7 to 10 days. The fever and sore throat come first, and the ulcers and rash follow a few days later. See a doctor if you have not improved after 7 to 10 days.
What is the best treatment for hand, foot and mouth disease?
There is no cure, and antibiotics do not help because a virus causes it. Treatment eases the symptoms: cool drinks, soft food, paracetamol or ibuprofen, and a mouth ulcer gel, spray or mouthwash from a pharmacy.
What should adults eat with hand, foot and mouth disease?
With hand, foot and mouth disease, soft, cool foods, such as yoghurt, cooled soup, mashed potatoes, cooked vegetables, smoothies and ice cream, with plenty of cool drinks. Avoid hot, salty or spicy food, and acidic or citrus fruit and juices, which sting the ulcers.
What can I do at home for hand, foot and mouth disease?
Rest, drink plenty of cool fluids, take paracetamol or ibuprofen for the fever and the pain of the ulcers, suck ice or use a numbing mouth gel or spray before meals, eat soft cool food, keep blisters clean and uncovered and let them dry, and wash hands after the toilet and before food. Hand, foot and mouth disease needs no antibiotics, which do nothing against a virus.
Can I go to work with hand, foot and mouth disease?
Stay at home while you feel unwell with hand, foot and mouth disease. When you go back, wash your hands often, and do not share cups, cutlery or towels, because you can still pass the virus on. If you work with food, young children or people who are unwell, tell your employer.
How can I avoid catching hand, foot and mouth disease?
Wash hands with soap after changing nappies, after the toilet and before eating, do not share cups, cutlery or towels with someone who has it, clean surfaces and toys that a sick child has handled, and keep a child home while unwell. There is no vaccine available in Europe, and hand, foot and mouth disease stays infectious in faeces for up to a month, so handwashing matters long after the rash has gone.
Is hand, foot and mouth disease dangerous in pregnancy?
Hand, foot and mouth disease usually poses no risk to the pregnancy or the baby. Avoid close contact with anyone who has it, and speak to your midwife or a doctor if you have been in contact with it or have symptoms, especially near your due date.
Can you get hand, foot and mouth disease twice?
Yes. One infection protects you against that particular virus, but several enteroviruses cause hand, foot and mouth disease, so a different one can cause a second episode, which is usually milder.
Can an online doctor treat hand, foot and mouth disease?
Yes. A doctor can confirm hand, foot and mouth disease on camera, advise on pain relief and fluids, and check for dehydration and the rare complications. A severe headache with a stiff neck, confusion or weakness needs 112.
- Hand, foot and mouth disease, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 10 May 2024.
- Symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth disease, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2024.
- Chickenpox, NHS, National Health Service (UK), reviewed 31 January 2025.
- Hand, foot and mouth disease, HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), reviewed 9 July 2026.
- Hand, foot and mouth disease, DermNet, New Zealand, 2022.
- About hand, foot, and mouth disease, CDC, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, updated 7 May 2024.
This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.
Related conditions
Speak to a doctor about hand, foot and mouth disease over video, usually within 15 minutes
Licensed doctors · open daily 7am–11pm CEST · exact price before payment
See available times →