What to Know About Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Well|Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Is Spreading Again This Summer

Every summer and into early fall, hand, foot and mouth disease makes the rounds in schools, playgrounds and day cares. But this season, some parents and pediatricians have noticed an unusual rise in cases.

“I’ve been practicing pediatrics for about a decade. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many cases over a period of a few weeks,” said Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a pediatrician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t require doctors to report hand, foot and mouth disease, so there is little concrete data available on case counts. But health officials in a number of states that track outbreaks, including Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, said there have been more outbreaks in 2025 compared to recent years. Ohio and West Virginia noted an uptick from last year but said that outbreaks had not eclipsed 2023 counts.

Still, experts are emphasizing prevention and urging families to stay vigilant.

Dr. Natasha Burgert, a pediatrician and national spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that in Kansas, she’s diagnosing more cases of hand, foot and mouth disease than any other virus this summer. “What I’m seeing in my own practice mirrors the surge my colleagues are reporting nationwide,” she said.

What are the symptoms of hand, foot and mouth disease?

Hand, foot and mouth disease is a viral illness that is most common among children under five years old. But anyone can get it.

It usually starts with a low-grade fever but is characterized by red spotty rashes across — you guessed it — the hands, feet and mouth. These spots can develop into small blisters, including irritating sores that appear on the tongue, gums and inner cheek. The rash is usually not itchy, but it can be painful.