Hand, Foot and Mouth With Impetigo: What to Know

Hand, foot and mouth disease commonly causes mouth sores and spots or blisters on the hands and feet, while impetigo can develop when bacteria enter scratched, broken, or blistered skin. New crusting, spreading redness, tenderness, pus, or sores that keep enlarging can point to a bacterial skin infection. Crusting skin has several possible causes, so an examination helps distinguish impetigo from dried viral fluid or another rash.

Wash hands after touching the affected areas, keep nails short, and avoid squeezing or opening blisters. Gently cleanse the skin, pat it dry, and cover draining areas with a clean dressing. Do not share towels, clothing, bedding, cups, or utensils; launder washable items regularly. A clinician may prescribe topical antibiotic therapy for a limited area or antibiotic therapy for skin infection when lesions are more extensive or need treatment beyond the surface. Follow the prescribed course exactly.

Arrange prompt medical assessment if crusting is spreading, pain or warmth is increasing, fever persists, the child is drinking poorly because of mouth sores, or the person seems unusually sleepy or unwell. Seek urgent help for breathing difficulty, severe dehydration, confusion, or rapidly worsening skin. Keep a child with actively draining sores away from close contact until a clinician advises when return to school or childcare is appropriate.

Ask whether the crusted areas are impetigo or part of the viral rash, whether treatment should be applied to the skin or taken by mouth, how dressings should be changed, and when close-contact activities can safely resume.