Originally Posted by Blackcat31:
HFM and a tough one. I honestly do not believe parents are even aware that their child has it unless there is a lot of symptoms happening...
low grade fever, irritability... sounds like most toddlers I know.
The obvious signs like blisters and red spots are often easily dismissed as something else (you yourself did it without giving it a second thought) so I can see how parents don't put two and two together either at times.
I would exclude when there are visible and undeniable symptoms such as a fever but exclusion in cases of HFM are often unhelpful as exclusion will not reduce transmission, as some children may shed the virus without showing symptoms, and other children who become ill may shed the virus for weeks in the stool.
Generally, a person with hand, foot, and mouth disease is most contagious during the first week of illness. People can sometimes be contagious for days or weeks after symptoms go away. Some people, especially adults, may not develop any symptoms, but they can still spread the virus to others.
It just went through here, but symptoms were so mild that I did not exclude. By the time anyone had any sort of rash, they'd already exposed everyone anyway. It's was also running rampant at the schools, and everyone has sibs and cousins.