All students should be kept at home and be symptom free for at least 24
hours before returning to school if they have the following symptoms:
*Temperature of 100 degrees or more
*Yellow drainage from eyes and/or matting of eyes, which could indicate
pink eye
*Vomiting and/or diarrhea
*Sore throat, stomachache, and headache accompanied by swollen glands around
the jaws, ears, and neck
Fifth Disease
Especially common in kids between the ages of 5 and 15, fifth disease
typically produces a distinctive red rash on the face that makes the child
appear to have a "slapped cheek." The rash then spreads to the trunk, arms,
and legs. Fifth disease is actually just a viral illness that most kids
recover from quickly and without complications.
Fifth disease (also called erythema infectiosum) is caused by parvovirus
B19. A human virus, parvovirus B19 is not the same parvovirus that
veterinarians may be concerned about in pets, especially dogs, and it cannot
be passed from humans to animals or vice versa.
Studies show that although 40% to 60% of adults worldwide have laboratory
evidence of a past parvovirus B19 infection, most of these adults can't
remember having had symptoms of fifth disease. This leads medical experts to
believe that most people with a B19 infection have either very mild symptoms
or no symptoms at all.
Fifth disease occurs everywhere in the world. Outbreaks of parvovirus tend
to happen in the late winter and early spring, but there may also be
sporadic cases of the disease any time throughout the year.
Fifth disease begins with a low-grade fever, headache, and mild cold-like
symptoms (a stuffy or runny nose). These symptoms pass, and the illness
seems to be gone until a rash appears a few days later. The bright red rash
typically begins on the face. Several days later, the rash spreads and red
blotches (usually lighter in color) extend down to the trunk, arms, and
legs. The rash usually spares the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
As the centers of the blotches begin to clear, the rash takes on a lacy net-
like appearance. Kids younger than 10 years old are most likely to get the
rash.
Older kids and adults sometimes complain that the rash itches, but most
children with a rash caused by fifth disease do not look sick and no longer
have fever. It may take 1 to 3 weeks for the rash to completely clear, and
during that time it may seem to worsen until it finally fades away entirely.
Certain stimuli (including sunlight, heat, exercise, and stress) may
reactivate the rash until it completely fades. Other symptoms that sometimes
occur with fifth disease include swollen glands, red eyes, sore throat,
diarrhea, and rarely, rashes that look like blisters or bruises.
In some cases, especially in adults and older teens, an attack of fifth
disease may be followed by joint swelling or pain, often in the hands,
wrists, knees, or ankles.
A person with parvovirus infection is most contagious before the rash
appears � either during the incubation period (the time between infection
and the onset of symptoms) or during the time when he or she has only mild
respiratory symptoms. Because the rash of fifth disease is due to an immune
reaction (a defense response launched by the body against foreign substances
like viruses) that occurs after the infection has passed, a child is usually
not contagious once the rash appears.
Parvovirus B19 spreads easily from person to person in fluids from the nose,
mouth, and throat of someone with the infection, especially through large
droplets from coughs and sneezes.
In households where a child has fifth disease, another family member who
hasn't previously had parvovirus B19 has about a 50% chance of also getting
the infection. Children with fifth disease may attend childcare or school,
since they are no longer contagious. Once infected with parvovirus B19, a
person develops immunity to it and won't usually become infected again.
Parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy may cause problems for the fetus.
Some fetuses may develop severe anemia if the mother is infected while
pregnant � especially if the infection occurs during the first half of the
pregnancy. In some cases, this anemia is so severe that the fetus doesn't
survive. Fortunately, about half of all pregnant women are immune from
having had a previous infection with parvovirus. Serious problems occur in
less than 5% of women who become infected during pregnancy.
There is no vaccine for fifth disease, and no real way to prevent spreading
the virus. Isolating someone with a fifth disease rash won't prevent spread
of the infection because the person usually isn't contagious by that time.
Practicing good hygiene, especially frequent hand washing, is always a good
idea since it can help prevent the spread of many infections.
The incubation period (the time between infection and the onset of symptoms)
for fifth disease ranges from 4 to 28 days, with the average being 16 to 17
days. The rash of fifth disease usually lasts 1 to 3 weeks. In a few cases
in older kids and adults, joint swelling and pain because of fifth disease
have lasted from a few months up to a few years.