Is it Chicken Pox? Measles? Or Something Worse?

Actually it is none of those 3, but it looks just as alarming and in some cases, even more so!

Have you ever heard of Roseola? 

Unless you are a parent or work in the medical field, it probably doesn't ring a bell. I know I hadn't heard about it until last week, and that was because my 1 year old daughter came down with it. 

What is Roseola?

Roseola (also called sixth disease) is a viral infection primarily affecting children. More specifically children under the age of 2, although it has been contracted in children up to the age of 8 usually with milder symptoms the older the child is. In general, Roseola starts with a high fever (102+) for 3 straight days then followed by the tell-tale rash that covers the body with tiny red spots.

Roseola is caused by the herpesviruses; human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7). Collectively these viruses are referred to as "Roseolovirus"

In general, the virus is pretty common with approximately 3 million babies born in the United States contracting the Roseola virus each year.

Is it serious?

Thankfully, no. Most cases don't even require a doctor visit and will resolve on their own. It can be alarming to parents and people who see the infected person though as the spots can look quite serious, especially when accompanied by a high fever. In fact, the current thoughts are that most babies will catch this virus at some point before they enter kindergarten, some cases might just be milder so parents don't even realize their child was infected.

Symptoms:

Roseola primarily affects children older than 6 months but younger than 2 years old. It begins with the onset of a high fever usually above 102F. The fever will usually last about 3 days. The high fever can sometimes cause "febrile seizures" due to the sudden rise in body temperature. 

Febrile seizure: 

"A febrile seizure is a seizure associated with a high body temperature that occurs without any serious underlying health issue. Most often they occur in children between 6 months and 5 years old. The seizure itself usually lasts less than 5 minutes in duration and the child is completely back to normal within an hour following the event."

In most cases febrile seizures are not dangerous as long as they do not last longer than 5 minutes in duration.

Other than the above mentioned symptoms, the child may appear almost normal. My daughter just seemed be more tired than usual and very hot to the touch. No vomiting or any other alarming flu like symptoms showed up. 

Then, a few days after the fever subsides and just as the child appears to be over the sickness, the tell-tale rash appears. It usually begins on the child's trunk (stomach and back area) and then gradually spreads to all areas of the body, including the scalp and face. The rash is usually not itchy, although my daughter scratched at her head quite a bit. It is composed of tiny red dots that can look similar to measles. The spots usually disappear in about 3 days from the time they show up. The child can still be contagious during this time even though they are no longer running a fever.

Causes:

As mentioned above Roseola is caused by a virus, more specifically a combination of viruses. The HHV-6 and HHV-7 herpes viruses. It can easily be passed from person to person through contact with respiratory secretions (coughs or sneezes) or contact with an infected person's saliva, such as sharing a drink. Daycare's and nursery's are primary places of infection.

Prevention:

Currently there is no vaccine targeted at preventing Roseola. In general the symptoms are mild enough that a vaccine isn't warranted. Hand washing, not sharing personal items, and not being exposed to children that currently are infected is the best advice for preventing infection.

Treatment:

As of today no pharmacological treatments are approved specifically for the treatment or cure of Roseola.

In most cases the only treatments needed are infant (depending on the child's age) Tylenol to help with pain and fever reduction, plenty of rest, and hydration. Sometimes the child will refuse food or drink when they do not feel well but it is important to keep them hydrated. Pedialyte can be used if the child is not taking fluids. Warm baths may also help if the child is itchy or uncomfortable.

My daughter didn't want to eat anything or drink anything when she was sick... she basically lived on pedialyte for a couple days to make sure she was getting adequate hydration and some nutrients. 

Summary:

If your child has a high fever for a couple days and then gets red spots all over their body that don't appear to itch, don't be alarmed just yet. It is very possible that they have this very common and very mild infection known as Roseola. I know that when the spots showed up on my daughter the first think I did was rush her to the doctor. However, it was almost strange to have the doctor tell me, "oh no, this is fine, it's very common... no treatment needed" all the while I am thinking, "uh... look at her, does she look fine to you?!" :)

I hope I was able to shed some light on an all too common disease that most people don't seem to know much about. Thankfully it isn't very serious but it is still good to be educated. 

The information compiled was from Wikipedia and from my own experience of dealing with this first hand over the last week.

Live well my friends!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseola

Image Sources:

http://infobaby.org/roseola/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseola

http://slideplayer.com/slide/7267737/

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/roseola-causes-treatment-and-prevention.html

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/490962796855459124/

Follow: @jrcornel