The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention is warning of one more respiratory virus within the back-to-school season. The virus is related to a facial rash in youngsters.
A MARTÍNEZ, BYLINE: A brand new respiratory virus is on the rise. It is referred to as parvovirus, and the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention just lately put out a well being alert. NPR’s Pien Huang joins us now to inform us all about it. Pien, so parvovirus seems like a canine factor. Why ought to individuals be fearful about it?
PIEN HUANG, BYLINE: It does sound like a canine factor, and there’s a model that impacts canines. Individuals would possibly vaccinate their pets in opposition to it. However I do wish to be clear that it is a totally different parvovirus. So people cannot get parvovirus from canines, however there’s a human model. It is in the identical household, however it’s a distinct virus. And the one which well being officers are fearful about proper now could be a pressure referred to as parvovirus B19. It is tremendous contagious. It spreads from individual to individual, largely by sneezing and coughing – principally, respiratory droplets.
MARTÍNEZ: OK, sounds yucky. So what are the signs in the event you catch it?
HUANG: Properly, A, it is truly a reasonably widespread childhood an infection. About half of the individuals within the U.S. have gotten it and recovered by the age of 20. I spoke with Dr. Jeffrey Starke. He is a specialist in infectious ailments at Texas Kids’s Hospital in Houston. And he says that in lots of circumstances, individuals who get it haven’t any signs or very gentle ones.
JEFFREY STARKE: It actually simply begins out with fever – fever, fever, fever – for a number of days. So there’s nothing significantly distinct in regards to the sickness. After which usually after a number of days is when the kid actually begins to interrupt out right into a rash.
HUANG: And that rash is what provides it its nickname. It is referred to as slapped-cheek syndrome, which refers back to the face getting very pink. It is also referred to as fifth illness – No. 5 – since a listing from approach again within the 1900s listed it on a listing of rash-causing ailments together with issues like measles and scarlet fever. And that rash is definitely an immune response to the virus. Typically, as soon as individuals get that rash, it implies that they are not contagious anymore they usually’re properly on their method to getting higher.
MARTÍNEZ: However gentle for many, as was talked about. Who’s it harmful for?
HUANG: So it may be very harmful for people who find themselves pregnant or individuals with weakened immune techniques or blood problems. And that is as a result of this virus truly messes with pink blood cell manufacturing. And proper now, medical doctors are seeing a surge in problems, like hospitalizations in youngsters with sickle cell and fetal anemia in pregnant girls, which then requires, like, blood transfusions.
MARTÍNEZ: So what’s accounting for this surge proper now?
HUANG: So it is not completely clear. I imply, one of many essential theories is that it is making a comeback after COVID. I spoke with Dr. Alfonso Hernandez with CDC, who says that in COVID, when individuals stayed dwelling and socially distanced…
ALFONSO HERNANDEZ: There was a lot much less transmission and so immunity decreased lots, particularly among the many youthful age teams, and that is why we’re seeing a resurgence in children proper now.
HUANG: Now, he says that they see surges of parvovirus usually each three to 4 years, however this one is fairly huge. And he says that the degrees now appear to be two to a few instances increased than the final surge in 2019. In order that they’re additionally taking a look at whether or not there are adjustments to the virus making it extra contagious, extra extreme than it has been up to now. So the underside line right here is that in case you are a usually wholesome particular person, you may most likely get well simply effective in the event you relaxation up and handle your self. However there is no such thing as a vaccine. So in the event you’re an individual at higher danger – say, in the event you’re pregnant or immunocompromised – you may wish to be further cautious.
MARTÍNEZ: All proper, that is NPR’s Pien Huang. Thanks very a lot.
HUANG: You are welcome.
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