‘It’s miserable’: Hand, foot and mouth disease spreading rapidly in this state, officials say

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) – The Virginia Department of Health is reporting a sharp increase in hand, foot and mouth disease cases.
Health officials say the viral infection seems to be spreading through schools and day care facilities, with the average number of cases having roughly tripled so far this year.
“Just to give you some idea of the data, in past years, we may have seen between 45 and 60 outbreaks reported per year. This year, in 2025, since May, we’ve had over 165 outbreaks of disease reported,” Dawn Saady, epidemiologist with the Virginia Department of Health, said.
Dr. Mark Flanzenbaum, founder and co-owner of KidMed Pediatric Urgent Care, said his staff has noticed a surge in cases across the group’s multiple locations.
“All of the staff here have noticed a significant increase. And around the country, they’re seeing it as well. And that’s believed to be due to a new strain. There’s something called the A6 strain that’s out there that seems to be spreading more rapidly,” Flanzenbaum said.
“It tends to be more of a summer and fall virus. It loves the warmth. And we’re having a warmer fall. It loves that. So the warmer weather is keeping it going,” the doctor added.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports coxsackievirus A6, one of the HFMD strains, is causing more severe symptoms as well.
Health officials said the virus presents as sores around the mouth and throat, along with red bumps that turn into blisters on the hands and feet, and sometimes genitals. Those with the disease may also develop a fever.
While the disease is not dangerous for most, Flanzenbaum said there are still risks, particularly for teens and parents.
Health officials say the thought that it only affects children is also a myth.
“It’s annoying. It’s uncomfortable. In general, it’s miserable,” Flanzenbaum said. “Unfortunately, part of the problem is that there’s no antiviral treatment for it. There’s no vaccine for it.”
Doctors say the disease spreads through respiratory droplets (sneezing and coughing), fluid from blisters and the stool of infected people.
Patients are contagious before symptoms appear, and symptoms can last for a week or more.
“There’s this misinformation that the contagious period is only when they have a fever, because we say that about a lot of other viruses. So, parents keep their kids home until the fever is gone, send them back to school, and now they spread it to everybody,” Flanzenbaum added.
School divisions and health departments in Virginia have been reporting cases.
“Reporting of outbreaks is required by regulatory code to the Virginia Department of Health,” Saady said. “Usually, we think of an outbreak as three or more cases that are linked, so three children in the same classroom, maybe within a time period of a week or two.”
Even without a fever, patients can spread the virus for days and weeks after symptoms appear, health officials said, and they are urging those to practice proper hand washing and sanitizing common surfaces as key prevention measures.