Fifth Disease: Parvovirus Fun For The Entire Family

When my nine-year-old son came come from school looking as if he’d been slapped in the face, I naturally asked him what had happened. “Nothing,” he assured me. Indeed, there had been no playground mishaps, no falls, and – though it looked like he’d been hit in the face with a giant soccer ball – no incidents during gym class. Later we discovered that he had a rash on his upper body and legs as well, and headed to the doctor.

We soon learned that the cause for these attractive welts was Fifth Disease, also called erythema infectiosumis. Fifth Disease is caused by infection with human parvovirus B19, and the doctor informed us that the “slapped-check” look and lacy rash on the trunk and limbs are typical symptoms. How did my poor boy get this lovely parvovirus? Well, we learned that it easily spreads from child to child in fluids from the mouth nose, and throat, particularly through those large drops of fluid that fly out during coughs and sneezes. The good news: the worst was over. The ugly rash would resolve in about a week, my boy was no longer contagious (the contagious part occurs before the rash appears), and he would not get Fifth Disease again (one develops immunity to it, kind of like the Chicken Pox).

Little did I know that I, like about 50% of adults, had never been exposed to parvovirus B19, and was about to succumb to the adult version of Fifth Disease. Over the next few days and weeks, I had the pleasure of enduring the most gut-wrenching pain and swelling in what seemed like every joint (hands, knees, wrists – you name it). At times, it was so severe, I had trouble dragging myself off the couch to get a glass of water. And, just when I thought it was over and was able to enjoy a nice long walk, the wretched Fifth Disease came back with a vengeance (it turns out stimuli like heat, exercise, and stress can reactivate the symptoms)!

I still haven’t mustered the courage to ask the doctor if there is a Sixth Disease. Frankly, I’m just a little too scared to know.