Schaffner sheds light on hand, foot, and mouth disease for CNN
Hand, foot and mouth disease is an illness commonly seen in children younger than 5. It spreads through contact and attacks exposed adults with fever, sores and skin rash.
Hand, foot and mouth is "due to a virus that lives in the intestines, and it is very contagious," said William Schaffner, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University. He noted that late summer and early fall are when enteroviruses — those related to the intestines — seem to spread readily.
"You are contagious before you are ill and during the illness, but undoubtedly people have the virus in their intestinal tract who never get ill," Schaffner said. There are also people who become infected but don't have symptoms, though they can spread the illness.