hand, foot and mouth disease
noun
: a usually mild contagious disease especially of young children that is caused by an enterovirus (Enterovirus alphacoxsackie and especially serotypes coxsackievirus A16 and enterovirus A71) and is characterized by vesicular lesions chiefly in the mouth and on the hands and feet compare foot-and-mouth disease
Examples of hand, foot and mouth disease in a Sentence
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Most respiratory viruses, including Covid-19, flu and RSV, act through the indirect pathway, Roberts said, while enterovirus strains – related to the viruses that cause hand, foot and mouth disease – can directly infect the heart muscle.
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Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
One of the first places where hand, foot and mouth disease reportedly spread was at Sherwood Elementary, located in Memphis Tenn., which alerted parents to the outbreak in a letter issued on Aug. 27, according to local outlet ABC24.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Experts are now warning that the declines in vaccine coverage in the United States has led to notable increases in several diseases, including measles, whooping cough and hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
The usual fall culprits include respiratory viruses like the common cold, influenza, croup, COVID-19, RSV, and hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Dallas News, 11 Oct. 2022
Other enteroviruses cause polio and hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
Tomato flu could also be a new variant of hand, foot and mouth disease, which is common among children under age 5, the Lancet article said.
—Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022
Prior to Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard has dealt with various ailments in his big-league career, twice landing on the Disabled List (now called the Injured List) in 2018, for a strained ligament in his right index finger, and for contracting hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Christian Red, Forbes, 30 May 2021
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Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025
One of the first places where hand, foot and mouth disease reportedly spread was at Sherwood Elementary, located in Memphis Tenn., which alerted parents to the outbreak in a letter issued on Aug. 27, according to local outlet ABC24.
—Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025
Experts are now warning that the declines in vaccine coverage in the United States has led to notable increases in several diseases, including measles, whooping cough and hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Aug. 2025
The usual fall culprits include respiratory viruses like the common cold, influenza, croup, COVID-19, RSV, and hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Dallas News, 11 Oct. 2022
Other enteroviruses cause polio and hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
Tomato flu could also be a new variant of hand, foot and mouth disease, which is common among children under age 5, the Lancet article said.
—Andrew Jeong, Washington Post, 25 Aug. 2022
Prior to Tommy John surgery, Syndergaard has dealt with various ailments in his big-league career, twice landing on the Disabled List (now called the Injured List) in 2018, for a strained ligament in his right index finger, and for contracting hand, foot and mouth disease.
—Christian Red, Forbes, 30 May 2021
Cite this Entry
“Hand, foot and mouth disease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hand%2C%20foot%20and%20mouth%20disease. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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