Read about it online. Don't freak out if you have time and patience. There are viruses everywhere and this is just one of them. My children both got it in a group setting. You need about 2 weeks to be completely free of contagion but if you are industrious, have a childcare center, like to clean, sure clean. As a society we try to avoid these diseases so we can not have interruptions in work and school. But this is a normal disease in childhood for children in groups.
If you are concerned about keeping your child's immune tolerance up, don't clean like it is a lab (bleach and water). This is the reason we think children are getting asthma and other autoimmune diseases. Out bodies are not made to be bacteria- and virus-free and will attack their own tissue sometimes if the immune systems are not challenged enough. This seems to be why farm kids are less likely than city kids to have allergies. Childcares have to do this intense cleaning, but they have enough different viruses, bacteria and protists, fungi, etc. coming in and out for this kind of cleaning to still be okay on our immune systems (but you might want to think about the cleaning agent affects on our bodies). Something to think about: bleach and harsh-cleaning agents may actually foster more challenging bacteria that can suddenly out-compete the "good" (read we can tolerate or need this kind of) organisms that can also cause disease.
So, yes, your child will have sores. Get creams and maybe fever and pain reducers but just remember that your child's body is learning to defend itself too. Respect the organisms that cause disease, learn about them, but don't freak out. We need them too. It is the "circle of life" so to speak. Good luck with the time at home with them. It can be a bit lonely. Adults don't tend to show any symptoms, but ask your pediatrician or family doctor if you have any concerns.
Sincerely,
E. Huffmaster
(I was a biology major and high school science teacher, sorry if I got too "teachy.")
