Slapped
Sofia Gilcrease
Most children who get slapped cheek do not have any symptoms, and if they do the symptoms are usually very mild. A common symptom is cheeks that look like they have been slapped, which is where the virus gets its name.
It may take between four and 14 days after your child is exposed to slapped cheek for any symptoms to show. The symptoms can vary, and are usually so mild that many parents won't realise that their child has had the virus.
Slapped cheek is spread by touching or breathing in the coughed or sneezed fluid drops from an infected person. Children with slapped cheek are contagious until 24 hours after their fever has resolved. They will not be able to spread the infection to other people after this time, even if they have a rash.
Most children do not need any treatment, except for rest to allow the body to fight the infection. Because slapped cheek is caused by a virus, antibiotics are not given to children with slapped cheek as antibiotics do not treat viruses.
If you are pregnant and exposed to someone with slapped cheek, ask your GP to test if you have had human parvovirus B19 in the past. The GP will perform a parvovirus IgG serology test. If you have already had human parvovirus B19, then there are no concerns for your unborn baby. If you have not, your unborn baby can get a type of anaemia (low level of red blood cells in the blood). This is rarely serious and usually resolves by itself. Your obstetrician can provide more advice. The virus does not cause any other problems for your baby.
Arthritis-like symptoms, such as swollen ankle, knee and wrist joints, are common for teenagers and adults with slapped cheek disease. This complication is more common in female teenagers and adults, and is sometimes the only symptom of infection.
Normally, it takes around two to four weeks for the joints to get better. However, in some people, the swelling can last for months. Unlike true arthritis, there is no danger of permanent damage, even if the joints are affected for a long time.
People with compromised immune systems (for example, people being treated for cancer or severe asthma, or those with HIV/AIDS) can develop chronic and severe anaemia with slapped cheek disease. They may require a transfusion of red blood cells to maintain an adequate level of haemoglobin.
Those with disorders such as sickle cell anaemia, thalassaemia and hereditary spherocytosis can experience a sudden drop in haemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen around the blood, with slapped cheek disease. In severe cases, this can lead to heart failure. A transfusion of red blood cells to maintain an adequate level of haemoglobin may be required.
If you are pregnant and catch slapped cheek during the first half of your pregnancy, there is a small risk that your baby can develop a serious form of anaemia (low iron levels in the blood), or that you may have a miscarriage.
processing.... Drugs & Diseases > Dermatology Erythema Infectiosum Updated: Mar 06, 2020
- Author: Glenn L Zellman, MD; Chief Editor: Dirk M Elston, MD more...
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- Sections Erythema Infectiosum
- Overview
- Practice Essentials
Background Pathophysiology Etiology Epidemiology Prognosis Patient Education Show All
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Erythema infectiosum (also known as fifth disease) is usually a benign childhood condition characterized by a classic slapped-cheek appearance and lacy exanthem. [1] It results from infection with human parvovirus (PV) B19, an erythrovirus. Human PV-B19 also is associated with other hematologic, rheumatologic, and neurologic conditions, including polyarthropathy, aplastic anemia, and hydrops fetalis. (See Etiology, Pathophysiology, and History and Physical Examination.)
With one out and Derek Jeter on first after his RBI single cut
Boston's lead to 4-2, Rodriguez hit a grounder down the first-base
line that Arroyo fielded. While Arroyo ran toward Rodriguez to tag
him out, the Yankees third baseman stuck out his left hand and
slapped the pitcher's glove. The ball was knocked loose and rolled
down the right-field line. Jeter came all the way around to score
and first-base umpire Randy Marsh ruled Rodriguez safe.
Parvovirus B19, also known as slapped cheek syndrome, is a common childhood viral infection which produces a bright red rash on the cheeks ('slapped' cheeks). It is caused by infection with the parvovirus B19 virus.
About 60 per cent of people have had slapped cheek syndrome by the age of 30. Most infections occur in children between 5 and 15. People who have had slapped cheek syndrome once are usually then immune to it for life.
This is followed by a bright red rash on the cheeks ('slapped' cheeks) and a generalised 'lacy' rash on the body that spreads down the arms and legs. The rash lasts 7 to 10 days and is sometimes itchy. Sometimes the rash comes and goes.
Most people with slapped cheek syndrome need little if any treatment. Rest and painkillers may help. Speak to your doctor or chemist before giving any painkillers to your child. Aspirin is not recommended for children under 12.
Parvovirus infection is a common and highly contagious childhood illness. It's sometimes called slapped-cheek disease because of the distinctive face rash that develops. Parvovirus infection has also been known as fifth disease because, historically, it was fifth in a list of common childhood illnesses characterized by a rash.
Adults don't usually develop the slapped-cheek rash. Instead, the most noticeable symptom of parvovirus infection in adults is joint soreness, lasting days to weeks. Joints most commonly affected are the hands, wrists, knees and ankles.
During the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022, actor Will Smith walked onstage and slapped comedian Chris Rock across the face with an open-palm strike during Rock's presentation of the Best Documentary Feature award. The slap was in response to a joke Rock made about Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith's shaved head, which she had been shaving since 2021 due to alopecia areata. Smith returned to his seat and shouted profanity at Rock, who briefly responded and then continued his presentation.
Rock used the name "Richard" as a reference to Smith's role as the titular character in King Richard. As Rock continued to laugh, Smith silently strode across the stage, slapped Rock in the face with an open-palm strike, then turned around and walked back to his seat.[12] The attack, which some assumed was prearranged comedy, startled the audience. Many noted that this act contradicted and jeopardized the calm, positive public image that Smith had built in his three-decade career.[13] The previously calm Rock also looked startled,[14] while Smith shouted at him from his seat.[12]
Approximately 50-60% of people in the UK have had slapped cheek disease in the past, usually without realising it. You only have slapped cheek disease once in a lifetime. This is because you make antibodies during the infection which protect you from future infections with this same germ (virus).
A blood test is sometimes performed. This will show if you have slapped cheek disease and can also show if you have had this disease in the past. If you have had the disease in the past (even if you had it without developing any symptoms) then you will be immune to it. Testing is generally only carried out in pregnant women, or in people who have other medical conditions that reduce their immune system, not in healthy non-pregnant adults or in children.
Most pregnant women are immune to this germ (virus), or will not be seriously affected if they become infected by it. However, like some other viruses, the virus that causes slapped cheek disease can sometimes harm an unborn child. Miscarriage is more common in women who are infected with this virus before 20 weeks of pregnancy.
If you develop a rash during your pregnancy or come into contact with a person with a rash then you should seek medical advice. Your doctor will usually arrange for you to have a blood test to see if you have had slapped cheek disease in the past. If this is the case then you can be reassured and will not usually need other tests or treatment.
You can still go to school (or work) if you have slapped cheek disease, as you are only able to pass it on (are infectious) before you develop the rash. People infected with parvovirus B19 are considered non-infectious one day after the rash begins.
QUETTA, Pakistan -- The possibility of Pakistan seeking assistance from China is emerging after the government was slapped with a $5.95 billion fine in a legal dispute over rights for a copper and gold mine in the country.
There are no known vaccines that can protect against slapped cheek syndrome. The infection itself is mild and self remitting and usually resolves within a week without complications while providing the child with a lifelong immunity against the virus.
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