As news spread in early May 2008 that a viral illness was affecting more than 25,000 children in China, with more infections every day, a poster to a CBCNews.ca story wrote: "When does the disease expect to arrive here..it will. Vancouver is a Chinese province any way."

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), a common childhood ailment that typically causes little more than a fever and rash, had killed 39 kids by May 12.

It can affect children anywhere in the world, usually under the age of 10. And it has nothing to do with hoof-and-mouth disease, which affects livestock.

The human illness — hand, foot and mouth disease — and the cloven-hoofed animal illness — hoof-and-mouth disease — share three things, according to the Canadian Medical Association Journal:

• A colloquial name.
• The same family of viruses.
• A characteristic distribution of vesicles, or small fluid-filled blisters.

What causes hand, foot and mouth disease?

It's caused by a virus from the same family of visuses that causes hoof-and-mouth in cloven-hoofed animals. These viruses come from the Picornaviridae family of viruses.

In humans, the virus is normally transmitted orally or through contact with fecal matter. It typically affects A teacher checks a child for sores or blisters as part of stepped up efforts to prevent the spread of hand, foot and mouth disease in Singapore. (Wong Maye-E/Associated Press) children 10 years old or younger. It is prevalent worldwide and highly contagious. A child who is infected by the virus is almost certain to come down with HFMD within three to seven days of being exposed.

Adults are less likely to develop HFMD because most have already been exposed to the disease and have built up antibodies that protect them from developing it again. Young children are less likely to have built up their defences sufficiently to prevent infection.

The most common virus to blame for HFMD is coxsackievirus A16. However, sometimes the disease is caused by enterovirus 71, which can cause a severe form of the disease. Enterovirus 71 is behind the outbreak of HFMD in children in China.

HMFD is contagious and is spread from person to person by contact with nose and throat discharges, saliva, fluid from blisters or the stool of an infected person.

In animals, hoof-and-mouth is endemic in parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America. There hasn't been an outbreak in Canada since 1952. It is highly contagious among animals, but cannot be spread from animals to people.

What are the symptoms of HFMD?

HFMD, caused by coxsackievirus A16, is usually a mild disease from which most children will recover in seven to 10 days with little or no treatment.

HFMD often begins with a mild fever, poor appetite, a sore throat and a general sense of feeling sick. Painful sores develop in the mouth a day or two after initial symptoms show up. They begin as small red spots on the tongue, gums and inside the cheeks that turn into blisters. There can also be a rash on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet and/or on the buttocks. The rash is not itchy.

In rare cases of HMFD caused by coxsackievirus A16, patients may develop viral meningitis, which is accompanied by fever, headache, stiff neck, or back pain. Cases may be severe enough to require a few days in hospital.

But HFMD caused by enterovirus 71(EV71) may lead to viral meningitis or more serious diseases, such as encephalitis, or a poliomyelitis-like paralysis. EV71 encephalitis can kill.

How is HFMD treated?

The treatment is the same as for any illness caused by enteroviruses: there is none. But specific symptoms like aches, pain or fever can be treated with over-the-counter medications to provide some relief.

There's no vaccine to protect your child from HFMD, but the risk of infection can be reduced through good hygiene practices. An adult who handles a child infected with HFMD should also take extra care to make sure they do not become infected. Among the measures adults coming in contact with infected children should take are:

• No close contact (hugging, kissing, sharing of utensils).
• Wash your hands after changing a child's diaper.
• Disinfect the surface where you change the child's clothing.

Is HFMD seasonal?

No, it's not limited to certain times of the year, although there tend to be more cases in the summer and early autumn.