“My son has been diagnosed with a HFM infection. How long does the treatment take?”
My son is 6 years old and has been diagnosed with hand foot mouth disease, an infection that he has perhaps acquired from school. How long will it take for him to be fully alright?
3 Answers
He should be better in a few days, but sometimes it may take two - three weeks
G dickinson
G dickinson
HFMD is caused by a virus (often Coxsackievirus A16 or Enterovirus 71). It generally takes 2-3 days for symptoms to appear after infection and the clinical course is almost always completely resolved within 5-7 days. Your son will remain contagious to others for many weeks after resolution of his symptoms and should avoid sharing food, cups, utensils, etc., and should wash his hands frequently. There is no medication to take to treat these viral infections, but symptoms can be treated with over-the-counter remedies such as Tylenol or Motrin.
10 to 14 days
