prevention of coxsackie virus infections is difficult but possible. with children keeping strict hygienic precautions is almost impossible but good practices such as hand washing after diaper changing or touching infected skin may reduce viral transmission to other family members. attempts to regularly clean items that children contact especially toys pacifiers and any items they may place in their mouths may also reduce viral transmission. hand washing in general is the best prevention technique. currently there is no vaccine available. pregnant women should avoid contact with children (or adults) with hfmd because some studies suggest that coxsackie virus may cause developmental and other defects in the fetus. although infection and resolution of the disease usually renders the person immune to reinfection with the viral type that initiated the disease the person is not immune to other coxsackie viral types. for example a person may become immune to coxsackie viral type b4 but still would be susceptible to all of the other coxsackie viral types. in addition other viruses such as enterovirus 71 and enteric cytopathic human orphan (echo) viruses can produce hfmd symptoms. consequently it is possible for some people to have multiple infections with hfmd symptoms even though repeated infections occur infrequently.
can coxsackie virus infections be prevented?