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Georgia has already recorded more than twice as many cases of hand, foot and mouth disease this year compared with all of last year, according to state health officials.
The viral illness, which causes painful blisters on the hands, feet and inside the mouth, is spreading quickly among young children, with spikes reported in August and September as schools reopened. State data show 124 cases so far this year, up from 54 in 2024.
Doctors say children under 5 are most likely to contract the illness, which spreads easily through saliva, respiratory droplets, contaminated surfaces and fecal matter. Siblings often pass it among themselves, and parents sometimes catch it from their children.
Because it is viral, antibiotics are not used to treat hand, foot and mouth disease. Health officials say while the illness is highly contagious, the lesions typically heal on their own. Reports of outbreaks have surfaced in DeKalb, Fayette, Gwinnett and Cobb counties.
“This office has been treating several patients, my partners and myself,” said Dr. Nicola Chin, a pediatrician at Morehouse Medicine. “I myself had a patient who came in in a very heavy load of the rash because it actually went over to the buttocks and just a lot of lesions on the hand and feet. They can be painful a little bit and very painful in the mouth.”
“My partner had a parent that contracted the disease and didn’t do so well,” Chin said. “The mother just said, ‘Oh, I have now four children instead of three children because caring for a partner was added onto her plate in that way.’”
While the illness is highly contagious, the lesions typically heal on their own.
Doctors recommend rest, hydration and symptom relief, such as cold drinks for sore throats. Parents are urged to watch for dehydration and keep children home when they show symptoms.
