Roseola Infantum is an early childhood illness that most people contract and recover from before the age of three. It is characterized by several days of high fever followed by a body rash. Anyone who has ever had the disease is a carrier and so contracting it is pretty much inevitable. It is worrisome, particularly for new parents, but not ultimately dangerous. The rash doesn’t even itch.
Roseola is familiar to me. I diagnosed it several times for several of my babies. When Gleek’s two day fever broke and the rash appeared, I viewed it with familiarity. I could think what it was, but I knew I’d seen it before. I consulted the internet and dredged up my own diagnostic memories. Except for the fact that she is 8 years old, Gleek’s illness was classic for Roseola. How she managed to miss this illness before is a mystery to me, particularly considering that she attends the giant vector barn that is public school. It is not surprising that I missed the diagnosis earlier. I was watching Gleek’s fever and evaluating it against swine flu symptoms. I stopped worrying about infant illnesses about the same time I stopped changing diapers.
The good news is that no one else is likely to get sick. Everyone else in the family has been exposed previously. Gleek feels lots better and is bouncing around happily. The bad news is that the rash may linger for several days and I can’t send her back to school until it disappears. The quarantine is not due to actual contagion, but due to the fact that one look at her stomach would have the school staff sending her back home for fear of contagion. Also, Gleek would be so tempted to show the rash to her friends. So I predict boredom for tomorrow. Perhaps I’ll swing by her classroom and pick up some homework for her to do. Or maybe the rash will be gone in the morning. That would be nice.