Slapped cheek disease. How it affects children and pregnant women.

BACKGROUND: Slapped cheek disease, otherwise known as erythema infectiosum (EI) or 'fifth disease', is a common cause of fever and rash in children.

OBJECTIVE: The clinical features in children, and the implications for pregnant contacts will be discussed in this article.

DISCUSSION: Erythema infectiosum is usually a mild self limiting illness in children. Patients are unlikely to be infectious after the rash and other symptoms are present, and children do not need to be excluded from school or childcare. Infection in pregnant women under 20 weeks gestation can lead to miscarriage or hydrops, but in 50% of cases the fetus is unaffected. Pregnant women who are IgM positive require appropriate specialist referral and serial ultrasounds.