What is fifth disease or infectious erythema?

The fifth disease, also known as septic erythema, can appear in children, causing parents to worry. So what exactly is this disease? What are the symptoms of the disease? The following article can help you answer the above questions.

What is infectious fifth-scarlet fever?

Fifth disease, also known as typhus fever, is a mild form of infection caused by inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. This disease is more common in children between 5 and 14 years old. In addition, this disease can also appear in adults and especially dangerous for pregnant women. A viral illness results in a red rash on the cheeks, arms, and thighs. The virus that causes this disease is the human Parvovirus.

Symptoms of the disease

There are a few common symptoms of the disease such as:

About 2 to 3 weeks after being infected, a rash will gradually appear on the face. The lesions initially look like slap marks on the face, and the areas around the mouth will look pale. These signs usually appear only in children;

A red line or spot may appear on the arm and spread to the chest, back and thighs. The red spots may fade, but will worsen when the person is exposed to heat such as a hot or cold shower, or sunbathing. These red spots can stay on for up to several weeks. However, for some people, this rash does not appear;

Adults may experience pain.

Fifth disease is not serious for most children. However, the symptoms of erythema often cause a lot of fear and anxiety from parents, so talk with your pediatrician about the use of symptom relief medications.

There is no specific treatment for fifth disease, treatment is aimed at relieving symptoms. For example, if your child has a fever or pain, you can give acetaminophen. If new symptoms appear, the baby feels tired, has a high fever, you should take your baby to see the doctor.

Remedies

Children with this disease are very contagious, especially when they are experiencing cold-like symptoms, usually before it rains. However, by the time the rash appears, the child will no longer be contagious. But usually, if your child has a fever or rash, you need to keep your child away from other children until the doctor determines what the illness is. As a precaution, wait until your baby is out of fever before allowing him to play with other babies.

Keep infected children away from pregnant women, especially pregnant mothers in their first trimester, as the virus can cause serious problems, even death, for pregnant women.

Hope this article has provided you with some useful information about infectious scarlet fever. Please pay attention to the signs of the disease to better protect your baby.