Roseola  Infantum

 is a common, mild, viral infection that can cause a temperature and rash in babies and young
children.
 In the past, roseola was sometimes referred to as 'baby measles'.
 Roseola commonly affects children aged between six months and two years, and 95 per cent of
children have been infected with it by the age of two.
 Roseola is contagious before the symptoms appear, so it is difficult to prevent its spread to
others. 
  It's also known as sixth disease, exanthem subitum, and roseola infantum.

Causative Agent
 The most common cause of roseola is the human herpes virus 6, but the cause also can be another
herpes virus — human herpes virus 7.

Mode of transmission
 roseola spreads from person to person through contact with an infected person's respiratory
secretions or saliva
 Roseola is contagious even if no rash is present. That means the condition can spread while an
infected child has only a fever, even before it's clear that the child has roseola.

Incubation period-It may take 5 to 15 days for a child to have symptoms of roseola after being exposed
to the virus. 

Period of Communicability- The individual remains contagious until one or two days after the fever
subsides. 

Signs and Symptoms

 Fever. Roseola typically starts with a sudden, high fever — often greater than 103 F (39.4 C) and
may also develop swollen lymph nodes in his or her neck along with the fever. The fever lasts
three to five days.
 Rash. Once the fever subsides, a rash typically appears — but not always. The rash consists of
many small pink spots or patches. These spots are generally flat, but some may be raised. There
may be a white ring around some of the spots. The rash usually starts on the chest, back and
abdomen and then spreads to the neck and arms. It may or may not reach the legs and face. The
rash, which isn't itchy or uncomfortable, can last from several hours to several days before
fading.
 Irritability in infants and children
 Mild diarrhea
 Decreased appetite
 Swollen eyelids

Diagnostic Test
  Physical examination (assessment)
 confirm a diagnosis of roseola by the telltale rash
 by a blood test to check for antibodies to roseola.
o Specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) serology or a rise in HHV-6-specific immunoglobulin G
(IgG) and HHV-6 DNA polymerase chain reaction can document infection, even
distinguishing between HHV-6a and 6b. 
o If a complete blood count (CBC) is obtained, leukopenia may be noted. The white blood cell
(WBC) count usually returns to reference ranges within a week.

Treatment modalities
 There's no specific treatment for roseola, although some doctors may prescribe the antiviral
medication ganciclovir (Cytovene) to treat the infection in people with weakened immunity. 
 medications to reduce fever, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin,
others).

Prevention and Control

 avoid exposing your child to an infected child
 make sure that all family members wash their hands frequently to prevent spread of the virus to
anyone who isn't immune.