Fifth Disease
What is it?
Fifth disease, also called erythema infectiosum, is a mild viral illness that most commonly affects children. It is called fifth disease because it is the fifth of the five viral rash diseases of childhood (the other four being measles, rubella, chicken pox, and roseola). A child with the disease may have mild cold or flu-like symptoms followed a few days later by a red rash on the cheeks, torso and limbs. Some children with fifth disease may develop joint pain and swelling, but those symptoms don’t last for long.
Adults can also become infected with the virus and develop fifth disease. Adults tend to have a more severe flu-like illness, but seldom develop the rash. Adults with the disease are much more likely than children to develop joint symptoms. These symptoms usually clear up within two weeks, but as many as 10 percent of adults who develop joint pain will have prolonged, sometimes chronic, symptoms.
