If you have a child with Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, then you're probably wondering how long they're contagious and how soon they can go back to school or daycare. And generally speaking, children are most contagious during the first week of illness. However, the virus can also be spread through respiratory secretions from the lungs, nose, and mouth for up to 1 to 3 weeks, and also in the stool for months after the initial infections. So you're probably safe to let your children get around other children a couple of days after their symptoms have totally disappeared, but because they may still be a little bit contagious (it's possible), just take precautions. Of course, don't let them share food, or utensils, or anything with other people. And wash your child's hands frequently, and also encourage those around you to wash their hands frequently, and you do the same. That's the best way to prevent the spread of illness.
And when you're teaching kids to wash their hands, the best thing to do is incorporate a song, and make it fun, and the length of the ABCs or Happy Birthday is about just the right amount of time for a child to be washing their hands. They should use warm water and soap, get a good lather, scrub their hands from the tips of their fingers down to their wrists, and sing a song, and then after the song is done, then they can rinse and dry. And then, of course, another precaution is to decontaminate frequently-touched surfaces in your home if someone in your house has been sick. If you have more questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at [ Ссылка ], and recommend us to your friends and family too.
