Well, I got an email about 5th Disease from my babycenter newsletter on Monday evening. (The contents of this email are below.) Well, I read the information about it and moved on. Until, a whopping 1 day later, when I found out that one of my students has/had 5th disease. So, I called and let my doctor know and they scheduled me for some blood work which I had done yesterday. Now, I am waiting for the test results to get back to my doctor so she can call me, and hopefully tell me that everything is a-ok. I am so nervous, but I am trying to not be too excited. Wow, who know things could get so crazy when pregnant. My hubby is being so great at keeping me calm until I hear the results from the test. He keeps telling me to take one step at a time and to just pray everything will be okay. So, that's what I am doing. That, and not reading too many more things on the internet. Here's that email stuff:
What is fifth disease?
Fifth disease, so-called because it was the fifth red-
rash childhood disease to be identified, is generally a mild illness that most commonly affects preschool and school-age children. It's also sometimes referred to as "slapped cheeks disease" because of the telltale red facial rash that infected children commonly develop.
Adults can get fifth disease, too. It's caused by a virus called parvovirus B19, which inhibits the production of red blood cells. For otherwise healthy adults and children, a temporary halt in the production of new cells isn't a problem because the illness usually doesn't last longer than most of the red blood cells they already have circulating. But for people with chronic anemia (from a condition such as sickle cell disease) or an immune deficiency, and for a relatively small number of unborn babies, the virus can cause serious problems.
The infection is mainly spread through nsaliva and nasal secretions. So you can catch it by being near an infected person who coughs or sneezes; by kissing; by sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses; or by hand-to-mouth contact.
Parvovirus can also be transmitted in blood, so if you get it during pregnancy, it may infect your baby through the placenta. In a small percentage of cases, the infection ends up causing problems that may result in the loss of the baby. There's about a 50 percent chance, though, that you've already had fifth disease and thus are immune to parvovirus, in which case you have minimal risk of getting infected and passing it on to your baby.
(Note: Parvovirus B19 isn't the same parvovirus that your pet dogs and cats get immunized against. You can't be infected by the parvovirus that strikes animals, and they can't get parvovirus from you.)
The symptoms may vary from person to person, and about 20 to 25 percent of children and adults infected with parvovirus have no symptoms at all (though they're still contagious). During the first couple of weeks after exposure, there may be some mild symptoms, such as a low-grade
fever, achiness, headache, fatigue, a runny nose, or sore throat.
Typically, about a week after these symptoms occur, children with fifth disease will get a distinctive red facial
rash that looks like their cheeks have been slapped, followed later by a lacy (and sometimes itchy) rash that may also appear on their torso and limbs. By the time the telltale facial rash appears, most people are no longer contagious.
The rash usually disappears in a week or two, but it can last longer or reappear intermittently over the next several months, possibly triggered by sunlight, heat or
cold, or exercise. (During these recurrences, the person is not infectious.) Children with fifth disease may also have joint pain, though this is uncommon.
Infected adults usually don't get the characteristic "slapped cheeks" rash. More commonly — if there's a rash at all — it's a milder rash with a lacy appearance. Women in particular are likely to have arthritic-like joint pain. It most often affects the small joints of the hands, the wrists and ankles, and sometimes the knees, and generally resolves in a few weeks, though it can persist or recur for months or even years.
What should I do if I think I've been exposed?
Call your caregiver as soon as you think you've been exposed. (Don't wait to see if you develop symptoms.) She'll draw blood and have it checked for parvovirus antibodies, which will help her determine whether you're immune, have recently been infected, or neither. Depending on the results, you may need to repeat the blood test in one to four weeks.
If the results of your blood tests confirm that you've recently been infected, you'll have a series of ultrasounds over the next eight to 12 weeks to check for excess fluid in your baby's tissue (fetal hydrops), as well as other indications of a problem, such as
too much amniotic fluid or a placenta that looks overly large and swollen.
Doppler sonography, an noninvasive test that uses
ultrasound, may be done at the same time to check your baby's blood flow and look for signs of fetal anemia.
If your baby continues to look well and hasn't developed any problems after several months, try not to worry — it's highly unlikely that a parvovirus-related problem will develop later.
If, however, the testing shows evidence of anemia or fetal hydrops, the next step may be an invasive test called percutaneous umbilical blood sampling, a procedure in which a perinatologist (a
high-risk pregnancy specialist) inserts a needle into your uterus under ultrasound guidance and draws blood from your baby's cord to test for anemia. If there's severe anemia, she may then recommend a fetal transfusion, in which blood is transfused into your baby's umbilical cord vein.
While this procedure is not without risk, it improves the survival rate of severely affected infants. On the other hand, if the anemia is mild and the hydrops appears to be getting better on its own, you may just continue the ultrasound and Doppler sonography monitoring. And in most studies, babies infected during pregnancy who survived had no higher incidence of birth defects or developmental problems than those whose mothers weren't infected.
Is there anything I can do to avoid getting infected?
It's hard to avoid exposure, since people are contagious before they have signs of illness (and some have no symptoms at all). Still, you can reduce your risk of getting parvovirus, as well as some other infectious diseases, by following these guidelines:
• Do your best to stay away from people with viral-like symptoms.
• Wash your hands often, and always after wiping noses or touching tissues of kids who are sick or who have been around others who are sick.
• Don't share food, eating utensils, or drinking glasses.
