WWE star Kairi Sane has hand-foot-and-mouth disease — here's what that means

Abby Haglage

It hasn’t been an easy week for Kaori Housako, a popular Japanese female wrestler who goes by the name Kairi Sane. After the former NXT women’s champion shared a picture of herself with a 102-degree fever on Thanksgiving, she provided an update on Twitter to say she’s now experiencing an odd ailment.

“The fever has gone down, but now my hands, feet and mouth have a mysterious eczema … Ouch,” she tweeted in Japanese. “You go to the hospital with it? (even in the United States, Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease) It is a disease that infants under 5 years old have been examined, why did the virus enter my body by mistake? lol.”

Sane’s followers, more than 140,000 on Twitter and 362,000 on Instagram, have sent messages telling her they’re hoping for a speedy recovery. But what exactly is hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), and how long will it take “one of the best wrestlers in the world” to recover?

The Mayo Clinic defines hand-foot-and-mouth disease, which is typically caused by a coxsackie virus, as a “mild, contagious viral infection common in young children,” one that is “characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet.” Common symptoms include fever, sore throat, blisters on the tongue, gums and inner cheeks, loss of appetite and a general feeling of being unwell.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HFMD is most commonly seen in children in East and Southeast Asia, and major outbreaks in the U.S. are rare. Since the disease can be spread through germs, the CDC recommends washing your hands often with soap and water, as well as disinfecting dirty surfaces.

WWE star Kairi Sane has hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Here’s what that means. (Photo @KairiSaneWWE via Twitter)
WWE star Kairi Sane has hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Here’s what that means. (Photo @KairiSaneWWE via Twitter)

There is no treatment for HFMD, but the vast majority of those who contract it recover easily without hospitalization. In rare cases, it can lead to life-threatening illness.

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