United States: The CDC issued that a rare respiratory disease, parvovirus B19, has been on the rise in the US, infecting all age groups.
The CDC also issued a warning on August 13, following the issuance of European public health authorities’ statement that an “unusually” high number of cases in fourteen countries had been reported during the first quarter of the year.
About the parvovirus
The virus is marked by a typical sign of a blotchy rash on the cheek, which looks similar to if someone has slapped the infected individual. Therefore, it gained its nickname as – “slapped cheek disease.”
According to Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, “Parvovirus can be a very mild infection in many people, but if you are pregnant or are immunocompromised in any way, you are at a much greater risk of serious illness,” as the Fox News reported.
The Parvovirus B19 causes infection rapidly via respiratory droplets spreading through the air, coming out from an infected person’s infected breath.
Moreover, as experts indicate, children are more susceptible to being infected in schools, which later infects the adults in the home.
The issued advisory mentioned that around 50 percent of people who had not previously been infected by the virus contract the virus from an infected family member, whereas almost 20 to 50 percent of vulnerable students and staff get infected while being present in the school outbreaks.
As per, Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, “The virus is highly contagious and can spread asymptomatically,” as the Fox News reported.
Parvovirus B12 is also called “fifth disease” as it was listed fifth on a list comprising of viral illnesses causing rashes earlier, as per Mayo Clinic.