Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease: Prevention

To prevent hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), attention must be paid to reducing individual risk factors.

Behavioral risk factors

• Contact with ill persons during the phase of infection. This exists during the first week of illness. Infected persons are highly contagious (esp. when the vesicles ulcerate). Note: Even after symptoms subside, viruses can continue to be excreted in the stool for several weeks, so patients can be infectious for a very long time.Asymptomatic infected persons (mostly adults) are also infectious.

Preventive measures

• Hand washing (under running water with soap and water, for at least 15-20 seconds); soaping hands well and then rinsing off the soap scum thoroughly; if necessary, hand disinfection afterwards)
  • Especially after:
    • Diapers
    • Going to the toilet
  • Always before:
    • Food preparation
    • The food
• Close contact with sick people should be avoided.
• Hand disinfection: Apply agents with proven efficacy, with the range of action “limited virucidal” (effective against enveloped viruses), “limited virucidal PLUS” or “virucidal”.
• Disinfection of soiled surfaces and objects (including toys and door handles).