Sometimes kids catch weird germs. From hand foot and mouth to scabies, parents find themselves perplexed by the symptoms, worried by the diagnosis, and at a loss for what to do. Enter Holistic Squid – your source for to-the-point answers.
This week we are featuring Roseola, a common childhood virus that usually affects babies between 6 months and 2 years old. Roseola is contagious, but beyond that, is not really anything to worry about. In fact, most children will have this illness and recover without much ado. Treatment is palliative only.
What are the symptoms?
Sudden onset of fever, lasting 3 to 4 days, followed by a raised red rash. The rash starts on the trunk, then later spreads to the rest of the body and typically lasts 1 to 2 days.
A.K.A.:
Roseola Infantum, Sixth Disease, exanthem subitum.
Often confused with…
Measles or heat rash. Before the rash surfaces it may seem like a mild flu or even the fussiness of teething.
How long til symptoms appear?
3 – 5 days from date of contact.
How long are you contagious?
From about two days before the fever starts until 1 or 2 days after the fever is gone, even if the rash continues.
How to prevent it?
Avoid contact with infected children. Follow your standard wellness routine for cold/flu including Vitamin D, C, and anti-viral herbs such as echinacea and astragalus or your favorite Chinese herbal formula. Speak to your practitioner to insure you’re using effective measures for your family.
How to treat it?
There is no “cure” or vaccine for Roseola, but you may choose to treat the symptoms as they arise. If your child is extremely uncomfortable and/or unable to sleep, you may reduce fever and discomfort with over-the-counter ibuprofen (avoid aspirin and acetaminophen).
Common homeopathic remedies may include:
Aconitum nappellus – for rapid onset of high fever
Belladonna – for high fever where the face or body are burning hot to the touch, especially with irritability and sensitivity to noise or light
Chamomilla – for fever with one cheek red and the other pale, with hypersensitivity and irritability
Pulsatilla – for fever, child is thirstless, clingy, and wants to be held
In Chinese medicine, Roseola would most often be diagnosed as a wind-heat invasion, and herbs (such as Xiao Chai Hu Tang) would be administered to dispel the wind, clear heat, and protect the interior from the invasion from going deeper into the body.
This sounds familiar! Roseola is scary because the fever, at least in our case, was so high. We had to rule out a UTI, but after that, it was just waiting for the rash to come to confirm Roseola and then, bam, the fever went away, rash, whew…no biggie!
nolan JUST had roseola two weeks ago. it was actually his second crazy high fever within a month’s time. the first is still a mystery…virus of some sort, i suppose. he got up to 104 in the armpit, which was a little scary, but we kept our cool do to the recent fever experience we had acquired and the knowledge imparted on us by our doctor (actually useful this time…sweet!).
we did pick up a little stick-on-pee-catcher bag (technical terminology, for sure) from the ped’s office to collect a urine sample and test for a uti as he had one of those little devils when he was a tiny little guy. but, once that was ruled out, we were just waiting around with our fingers crossed, hoping for a rash. ha!
three days past, fever broke and then a super-mild rash appeared. i really expected it to be a bit gnarlier, but am thankful that it wasn’t. nolan didn’t eat for three days (thank god for breastmilk!) and was pretty needy and crabby, but overall, not too terrible!