Most students are immune by Age 5 but HFMD can spread in close quarters
What College Students & Athletes Need to Know
Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease (HFMD) is a contagious viral infection most often caused by coxsackieviruses. While frequently associated with young children, anyone can get it — including college students living in shared housing or participating in team sports.
What It Is
HFMD typically causes:
- Fever ( you are often contagious before the fever)
- Sore throat
- Painful blisters or sores on hands, feet, mouth, and sometimes buttocks that occur before the fever
- General malaise
Although usually mild, it spreads easily in close-contact settings — exactly the environments common on college campuses.
How It Spreads
HFMD is transmitted by:
- Respiratory droplets (coughing/sneezing)
- Direct contact with blisters or body fluids
- Fecal-oral route — virus can be shed in stool for weeks after symptoms resolve
This makes shared bathrooms, locker rooms, dining halls, and athletic facilities higher-risk areas.
Infection Control: Practical Steps for College Settings
- Hand Hygiene Is Critical
Encourage frequent handwashing:
- Before eating
- After restroom use
- After sports practices
- After touching shared equipment or surfaces
Alcohol-based hand sanitizer can be a helpful supplement when soap and water aren’t available.
- Cleaning & Disinfection
HFMD viruses are enteroviruses and can live on surfaces.
Use EPA-registered disinfectants or bleach solutions to clean:
- Door handles
- Shared equipment
- Bathrooms and locker room surfaces
- Dining tables and high-touch food service areas
Always clean first, then disinfect according to product instructions.
Tip: For bleach solutions, follow label directions and ensure proper ventilation.
- Avoid Close Contact If You’re Sick and Come See Us For An Appointment
Students or athletes with HFMD should:
WEAR A MASK and/or
- Stay home from classes or team activities until fever resolves and mouth sores improve
- Avoid close contact, especially with high-risk individuals (immunocompromised, young children, pregnant persons)
- Not share personal items (water bottles, towels, utensils)
Even after symptoms go away, viral shedding can continue for 10 days — maintaining good hygiene is essential.
Return to Activities
There’s no universal exclusion period for HFMD, but consider these principles:
Academic & Campus Life
- Students should stay away from classes while symptomatic (fever, active blisters)
- Return when fever-free and feeling well
Athletes & Team Settings
- Avoid practices and close-contact sports when symptomatic
- Gradually return once symptoms decrease
- Team medical staff can tailor decisions based on illness severity and transmission risk
Most resources emphasize symptom improvement and infection control, rather than a fixed number of days.
Dining Hall & Shared Space Tips
- Use grab-and-go utensils/single-serve condiments when possible
- Sanitize tables between dining waves
- Promote handwashing stations at entry and exit points
- Encourage staying home when sick
Final Takeaways
HFMD may be common in younger children, but it spreads easily in college congregate settings — particularly among athletes and in shared living/dining spaces.
Hand hygiene, surface disinfection, avoiding close contact when ill, and clear guidance on return to activities are the best tools we have to prevent outbreaks on campus.