It affects younger children severely. The infection typically spreads from child to child, and from child to parents. Resolution can be expected within a week.
Isolated cases can occur, and epidemics occur regularly.
Signs and Symptoms A few days after exposure, a low-grade fever, anorexia, malaise, and mouth soreness occurs. The fever, usually about 101 F, lasts a few days. Within a day or two, sores erupt in the mouth. They begin as tiny blisters on a red base that open up and resolve in a few days. Within a couple of days, small, clear to white blisters develop on the palms and soles.