Fifths Disease

[luvwinnie]

Anyone ever have it or have a child with it? My co-worker's 18 month old son has it. Seems pretty benign...she's worried her niece will catch it though since they have spent a lot of time together and she always gets respiratory problems when sick.

 

[DawnCt1]

It is pretty benign, however pregnant women should not be exposed to it.

 

[huckster]

my kids had it many years ago i remeber a rash , Dr. saying it just runs its course they were in school and there we other children with the same thing. Dr said she had seen quite a few cases at that time.

 

[Chris2597]

We have had sporadic cases going through the school for many years....It is a very benign virus for children.....However....it can be horribly dangerous (for the fetus) for woman in their last trimester of pregnancy.....
It is a very sneaky virus and is contagious before the rash appears....infecting others around the child....The child will appear to have an almost slapped in the face cheek look and will have a lacy rash all over the body...there may or may not be a low grade fever.....by the time all of this appears the contagious period is over. When an adult catches the virus it can cause VERY achy joints and muscles, fluish feeling, and possibly a low grade temp for a few days....pretty benign.....but very serious if a pregnant woman is infected.

 

[grinningghost]

My DD had it when she was in 4th grade. It was a flat, lacelike red rash. She had it all over the place, but it was the worst on her stomach and legs. She never even felt sick with it. Very benign. I had to keep her out of school because it's contagious, but for her, it was like a freebie. She felt fine.

BTW, when she got it, only one other girl in her class had it. For a contagious illness, I thought that was a little weird.

 

[luvwinnie]

His symptoms began on the weekend. If someone in the family was going to catch it, would they already have symptoms? I know, she should have asked her dr. this question, but completely forgot.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

My DD had it last year. When you break out with the rash it's not contagious anymore. The doctor told me 1-2 weeks before the rash comes is the incubation period. Last year was the first time in 10 years that the disease was going around the school.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

Fifths Disease.
Wow I haven't heard that in years. I had that as a child. If I remember correctly, I missed school for a week. Our family doctor called it "slapped baby's face" because my face was all red.

 

[luvwinnie]

I'm a bit worried for myself also...I'm on immunosuppressant drugs and if my friend gets it, well I could too I suppose. And we all have a business trip to go on next week. I was tested for this when I first got sick and it showed I have never been infected with it.

 

[browneyes]

The first time I heard of the disease was when I was about 7 months pregnant with my daughter. My SO's niece was diagnosed with it the day after she came to see me. The dr told me it's pretty harmless for kids, but if I wasn't immune, my baby could die from it. I was already pretty emotional being pregnant with her, I was a nervous wreck. He said most people had it as children and they might run a slight temp, and have a slapped-looking redness on their cheeks. If they have it in the wintertime, most mothers passed it off as being out in the cold too much. I was never diagnosed with it, so I had an agonizing month wondering if my baby was going to die or if hopefully I was immune. I had to have 2 or 3 tests run on me over a month's time. They couldn't prove I was immune, but it never showed up in the lab results that I had the disease either. She's a very healthy 11 year old now with a paranoid mother.

 

[mrsltg]

It's not that bad for children and adults, but anyone immuno-suppressed is at risk for anything. It's especially deadly to fetuses. I know a woman who lost her baby at 16 weeks this year due to contracting fifths disease.

Erin

 

[Deb in IA]

Fifth Disease


What is fifth disease?
Fifth disease is a contagious viral illness that is much more common in children than adults. It is also known as "slapped cheek disease" because of the distinctive rash some people develop.

Fifth disease is spread mostly by coughs and sneezes. Generally, people can spread fifth disease only when flulike symptoms are present and before a rash develops. Some people with fifth disease, such as those who have certain blood disorders or impaired immune systems, may be contagious for extended periods.

What causes fifth disease?
Fifth disease is caused by a virus called human parvovirus B19.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms develop 4 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Initial symptoms usually resemble a mild flu, sometimes followed by a bright red rash on the face, and later a blotchy rash on the body. The rash usually fades within 2 to 5 days and may reappear with exposure to sunlight, warm temperatures, or stress.

Joint pain and swelling, lasting several weeks or even months, and headache may also occur. Adults develop these symptoms more often than children.

During outbreaks of fifth disease, as many as 50% of infected people do not develop a rash and approximately 25% of people infected do not have any symptoms.1

More here:

http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw1039.asp?lastselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}

 

[luvwinnie]

Thank you all. Co-worker is now saying her throat hurts. I'm washing my hands a lot...although it sounds like if she has it, we've already been exposed.