Helpful school employee

Friday, February 17, 2012

Fifth disease? Wow.

Obviously we are not doctors or, in this case, the nurse at Memorial School, but this is something of which we’ve never heard.

And if you hadn’t, well you have now, thanks to school nurse Rachel Higgins who, as reported in last week’s Journal, had sent a letter to parents and guardians letting them know that the school had found one confirmed case and one suspected case.

Here is how the disease was described in our story:

The illness produces a red rash on the face that makes the child appear to have a slapped cheek, which can spread to the trunk, arms and legs. It begins as a low-grade fever, headache and mild cold-like symptoms, including a stuffy or runny nose.

Once those symptoms pass and the illness seems to be gone, the rash appears a few days later. A person with fifth disease is most contagious before the rash appears, the time between infection and the onset of symptoms, or when a person has only mild respiratory symptoms.

Yikes. Imagine if your child had that. It sounds awful.

According to the website PubMed Health from the National Institutes of Health, “If a pregnant woman becomes infected with parvovirus B19 (the cause of fifth disease) it can cause significant harm to her unborn baby. Any pregnant woman who believes that she may have been in contact with a person who has this virus should talk to her health care provider.”

Acccording to the website, the virus is also thought to cause other diseases, including an infectious form of arthritis. But, the majority of adults seem to have antibodies to parvovirus B19 in their bodies. This indicates that most people have been exposed to the virus, and also suggests that many infections go unnoticed.

So, in essence, at one time or another, all of us and/or our children, could have had fifth disease and never even knew it.

Still, we all know that when our children suffer – fever, cold-like symptoms, stuffy or runny nose – we suffer, if only peripherally. But forewarned is forearmed, so the letter from school nurse Higgins should be welcome. It’s an example of a school employee taking a positive step to help the people who pay her salary, i.e., you. Next time you see her, say thanks.