Thailand Records More Than 53,000 Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Cases

Thailand Records More Than 53,000 Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease Cases

Thailand recorded 53,362 cases of hand, foot and mouth disease between January 1 and September 1, including one death and 5,408 patients who required hospitalisation. The overall number remains lower than during the same period in 2025, with children aged four and younger accounting for the largest share of infections. Health officials say outbreaks are particularly common in schools and childcare centres during the rainy season because children have close contact and frequently share toys and other objects. Typical symptoms include fever, mouth ulcers, red spots or blisters and rashes on the hands, feet or other parts of the body, while severe symptoms such as convulsions, breathing difficulty and extreme lethargy require urgent medical attention. Schools and childcare facilities have been advised to screen children daily, send symptomatic pupils home, disinfect shared surfaces and temporarily close classrooms when multiple infections appear within a short period.