Fifth Disease:An Update

摘要

Fifth disease (erythema infectiosum), a mild skin-rash disorder that is caused by human parvovirus B19, is more common in children than in adults. Fifth disease originally acquired its common name when it appeared fifth on a listing of six recognized childhood rash-forming illnesses (the other disorders on that list were measles, scarlet fever, rubella, chicken-pox, and roseola infantum). This mildly-to-moderately contagious viral infection usually manifests within 4 to 14 days of exposure and is common among school-aged children, particularly in the winter and spring.