Roseola Infantum

WHAT CAUSES ROSEOLA INFANTUM?
It is caused by a virus of the herpes family (human herpes virus 6 or HH6) that was isolated in 1986. It is unclear how the virus is passed from person to person. Once a child is infected with the virus, roseola usually develops within 7 to 14 days. After a child has had the disease once, it is impossible to catch it again.

What Happens During Roseola Infantum? Roseola begins as a fever which can range from 102 degrees to 105 degrees Fahrenheit and which usually lasts three to five days. The fever suddenly passes, and then rash appears on the upper body.

WHEN SHOULD I SUSPECT THAT MY CHILD HAS ROSEOLA INFANTUM?
The key to a diagnosis of roseola is the timing of the rash, which does not develop until the worst symptoms of illness—fever, loss of appetite, irritability, sleepiness and swollen or droopy eyelids—have passed. The rash, which is spotty, pink and slightly raised, begins on the trunk and eventually spreads to the upper arms and neck. It is brief in duration, sometimes lasting just a few hours, but nearly always disappears in one day.

IS MEDICAL ATTENTION NECESSARY?
A physician can give advice on how to control the fever, usually with acetaminophen, but the disease must take its course. If the child develops additional symptoms or becomes more ill, a physician may order blood tests to rule out other conditions that cause fever in babies and toddlers. Roseola is one of the most common causes of a febrile seizure (a convulsion due to high fever) in the first years of life.

CARING FOR A CHILD WITH ROSEOLA INFANTUM

• To treat fever and other discomfort, give the proper dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol, Datril, Panadol, Tempra and others) according to the child's height and weight.

• Dress the child in lightweight, cool, comfortable clothing, especially when fever is present.

• If fever reaches more than 104 degrees, give the child a cool-water sponge bath.

• Whenever a child's fever rises quickly, there is a possibility that convulsions may occur. Be sure you know how to deal with them.

• Encourage the child to take in more fluids. It is normal for the appetite to decrease.

PREVENTING ROSEOLA INFANTUM
Because most infants acquire the virus without any serious complications, it is fruitless to try to devise preventative measures as it circulates so widely among susceptible children.

Excerpt from THE DISNEY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BABY & CHILD CARE, © 1995 DSH Communications, Inc. This material is based on current medical research and, to the best of the editors' knowledge and understanding, is accurate and valid. However the reader should not use information contained in this material to alter a medically prescribed regimen or as a form of self-treatment, without seeking the advice of a licensed physician.