OUT, DARN SPOTS!

Adults get kids’ ailments

This virus, which is characterized by bright red cheeks, is also known as slapped cheek syndrome. It’s spread through contact and droplets that come from sneezing or coughing.

You know your kid has it when: She starts with a fever, stuffy nose and headache. Several days later, a hot, red rash appears on her cheeks, and a lacy rash may pop up on her arms, legs and torso. Fifth disease most commonly occurs in kids ages five to eight; it lasts about two weeks and clears up on its own. Kids are contagious during the first few days of cold-like symptoms, before the rash appears.

You know you have it when:

You have swelling and pain in your small joints, such as the hands, wrists, ankles, knees or feet, on both sides of the body — also known as symmetrical arthritis. More rarely, you get the same flu-like symptoms and rash your child had. No worries: You’ll recover in a week or so, no treatment needed, but stay home and rest, especially when you have a fever. If you had fifth disease as a kid, you’re generally protected.

If you get fifth disease when you’re expecting, particularly during the first half of your pregnancy, it can cause severe anemia in your baby — and, in rare cases, miscarriage. If you work with or have children, ask your doctor to test your immunity at the beginning of your pregnancy. If you’re not immune and are exposed to the virus, your doctor will test to see whether you’ve been infected. If you have, your baby will likely be monitored by ultrasound and may receive a blood transfusion directly through the umbilical cord.

HHV-6 — A.K.A., ROSEOLA

Roseola is known for its distinct rash. It’s spread through droplets and contact. You know your kid has it when: He starts with a sudden high fever of up to 39.4°C (103°F), which lasts three to five days. “Ten to 15 per cent of kids develop seizures that are purely associated with the fever,” says Avril Beckford, a pediatrician in Atlanta. While these seizures aren’t dangerous, she recommends bringing down the temperature with children’s acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Three to five days after the fever comes a rash — small, rose-coloured spots on the trunk and limbs — that generally isn’t itchy and lasts from a few hours to a few days. “Once it resolves, the child starts feeling much better.” The virus is most common among children under age two, and kids are contagious from a day or two before the fever starts until the rash appears. Generally no treatment is needed.

You know you have it when:

You have the same symptoms, though they’ll probably be milder than your child’s. If you had roseola as a child, you can’t get it again. Like your kid, you should feel better in about a week. In the meantime, take it easy.

COXSACKIEVIRUS/ ENTEROVIRUS — A.K.A., HAND, FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE

This illness causes sores in the mouth and on the hands and feet. It peaks in spring and spreads through droplets, direct contact and bodily fluids. You know your kid has it when: She has sores inside her mouth, a fever and a bit of fussiness. It’s likely she won’t want to eat or drink because of the pain. She may develop a blister-like rash on her hands and feet. The illness will run its course in about a week and doesn’t require treatment.

Hand, foot and mouth disease is most common in kids under five. Infected kids can spread the virus for up to six weeks through their stool, making diaper changes and potty time an exercise in haz-mat control. You know you have it when: You’re suffering from those same symptoms. “You can get hand, foot and mouth disease even if you’ve had it before, because it’s caused by a group of viruses,” says Seema Marwaha, an internal medicine physician at Trillium Health Partners Institute for Better Health in Toronto. She explains that although you may be immune to a specific subtype of the virus, you can fall prey to several others. You should feel better in a week.

VARICELLA — A. K. A., CHICKEN POX

Chicken pox is known for its itchy, blistering rash. It’s contracted by breathing in airborne particles, or by touching droplets or breathing in particles from broken blisters.

You know your kid has it when:

She’s tired, has a fever and headache, and is turning down her favourite snacks — and, of course, she’s covered with itchy red bumps that turn into fluidfilled blisters that break and scab over. The whole process usually lasts five to 10 days. The infectious period begins 48 hours prior to the telltale rash and ends 24 hours after the last lesion has crusted over. Kids are usually safe to go back to school about a week after the rash emerges.

Chicken pox is most common in kids under 10, but it’s avoidable: Experts recommend children get the vaccine at 12 to 15 months, with a second dose at four to six years.

You know you have it when:

You have the same symptoms as your child, but in your case, the illness can lead to complications such as pneumonia, skin infections and meningitis. If you had chicken pox as a child or have been vaccinated, you’re immune — but if not, you’re likely to catch it. “Chicken pox is one of the most contagious illnesses,” says Beckford, explaining that it can be transmitted through the air when the virus is aerosolized through coughing, or through fluids from the blisters. “There’s an outstanding chance that you’re going to get infected.” If you’ve had chicken pox, the virus can remain in your nerve cells and manifest as shingles, which is a band of painful blisters that appears on one side of the body, usually after age 50. Most people who have had the chicken pox vaccines are protected, but in rare cases, you can get shingles even if you’ve been vaccinated. You can talk to your doctor about getting a shingles vaccine later in life.

Because chicken pox can cause birth defects or miscarriage if you get it during pregnancy, women who haven’t had it should be vaccinated before conceiving. If you’re already pregnant and aren’t sure if you’re immune, your physician can test your immunity and give you an antibody if you’re not immune and have been exposed to the virus.

PERTUSSIS — A.K.A., WHOOPING COUGH

Instances of whooping cough peak in late summer and early fall. The disease spreads via contact and droplets.

You know your kid has it when:

He starts off with a week or so of flu-like symptoms, such as a low-grade fever and a runny nose, and then develops a cough characterized by a whooping sound as he breathes in. Pertussis has been dubbed the “90-day cough” because, from the first symptoms to the final cough, it can last three months. “The highest rates of pertussis are in infants under five years and then in 10- to 14-year-olds,” says Sarah Khan, associate medical director for infection prevention control at Hamilton Health Sciences in Hamilton, Ont. “But we are seeing a rise in all groups — it’s tripled in the past decade, perhaps because people aren’t getting vaccinated as much.”

Antibiotics can reduce the severity of the illness and prevent it from spreading. Pertussis is not contagious after five days of antibiotics or after 21 days without. A vaccine is available, and experts recommend kids as young as six weeks get immunized.

You know you have it when:

You have the same symptoms as your child, except you will just have a chronic persistent cough, minus the whooping sound. Unfortunately, the “90-day cough” moniker applies to adults as well.

Khan recommends all adults get vaccinated to boost their childhood vaccination and then repeat the booster every 10 to 15 years. “If a pregnant woman past 26 weeks hasn’t received it in her adult life, most doctors will give it at this point,” she says. Your baby isn’t at risk if you get the illness during pregnancy, but newborns are especially vulnerable to complications from whooping cough. Getting the vaccine while pregnant means you’ll pass on antibodies in utero so your little one will be protected early.