STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A handful of cases of hand, foot and mouth disease have been reported on Staten Island so far this summer, and medical experts are advising vigilance.
The disease is highly contagious, and the symptoms, including fever, painful mouth sores, sore throat and skin rash, are unpleasant and painful. It spreads quickly at schools and day care centers.
There is no vaccine in the United States to protect against the viruses that cause the disease.
The illness is most common in infants and children younger than 5 years old, and the most visible symptom is a red, spotted rash on hands and feet.
And though it isn’t a serious condition, families should watch for symptoms in their children and keep sick kids away from others to prevent spread, infectious disease specialists urged.
Most people get better on their own in seven to 10 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It’s a highly transmissible virus,“ said Dr. Jessie Saverimuttu, an infectious disease specialist and chairwoman of the Infectious Control Committee at Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton, who said that doctors treat the symptoms of the disease in patients and let it run its course.
Patients experience flu-like symptoms, Saverimuttu said, and the illness is most often reported among children, who gather close together for summer school, team sports and camp.
The virus can also live on surfaces and in wound fluid, but is most commonly shared through droplets spread by talking, sneezing and coughing.
It can also spread through feces, as in dirty diapers and pool water, according to experts.
“The main method of transportation is coughing,’’ Saverimuttu said. “People have to take precautions if they are sick.” Not doing so is unfair to others, she added.
Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, has reported a small number of cases so far this summer.
Dr. Norman Ng, an emergency physician and director of the division of observation medicine at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze. said cases often rise in late summer and early fall.
He advised frequent handwashing to prevent spreading or catching the infection. Disinfecting surfaces and keeping sick children home until the fever is gone will also help prevent unnecessary spread, he said.
The CDC also recommended that people avoid touching their face. Parents should help children stay clean by assisting them with washing. It is important to keep blisters clean, the CDC advised.
Though no cases have been reported at RUMC, that doesn’t mean it’s not around, Saverimuttu said. A child could show respiratory symptoms and not show the classic rash, and they may not even come to the hospital, she said.
The CDC does not track cases of hand, foot and mouth disease, so there is little concrete data available on case counts.
But health officials in a number of states do track outbreaks, including Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia, and, according to The New York Times, those states have seen more reported outbreaks in 2025 than in recent years.
In other boroughs, the reports appear to be higher in number than reported on Staten Island.
“I’ve been practicing pediatrics for about a decade. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many cases over a period of a few weeks,” Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez, a pediatrician at Columbia University, told The Times.
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