Rash Has Officials Scratching Their Heads... (First Case Of Small Pox???)?

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[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Follow the link due to posting restrictions... I posted this under Breaking News just incase. I appologize if it's jumping the gun. ...

[lilsparky]

Thanks, hadn't noticed the prodromal rash in any of the other literature.

[terilyn]

Did the article mention if these kids had the rash on their bottoms or not? My daughters both had the fifth disease at the same time when they were in 3rd & 4th grade. I was volunteering at the school in the classroom at the time and every kid in class looked like they had been slapped silly. The doctors said that once the redness shows up the child is no longer contageous so they were all at school. It was actually pretty funny watching a classroom full of 4th graders squirming in their seats because their back ends itched like mad. The rashes did have little bumps in them as well as the lacy look

I do remember though that they had to call in substitute teachers for several weeks for two of the teachers that were pregnant. It's as dangerous for a pregnant woman to be around fifth disease as it is to have her around measels. Bad news!

[gumbo]

Thanks for the ping. My stab at this medical mystery is roseola (link to symptoms in post 60); my kids had it - there's a fever and malaise, followed by a rash of little red dots. Fifth Disease sounds most likely, though, since there's already a confirmed case at the school. I do hope CDC is keeping tabs on the situation, in any case.

[rottweiller_inc]

I totally understand that we have to well informed, but causing panic among the public is not going to help the matter in anyway and it would have made the Terrorists achive one of their primary goals. If the people in charge have everything under control, then I do not have a problem with this situation.

well that is a very slippery slope. If there is a real outbreak not telling the public in an effor not to panic them could well cause that outbreak to spread at a stage where it could have been contained had people known.

[mostlyundecided]

Could be mold problem in school building. Happened here in Michigan.
Black Mold Closes Romeo School

Health Effects
If Stachybotrys chartarum spores are released into the air, there is a potential for humans to develop symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, runny nose, irritated eyes or throat, skin rash, or diarrhea. There are a few reports in the scientific literature of improvement of symptoms when people left an area where SC (Croft, Johanning) or other molds (Auger) were found, or after moldy materials were removed from a dwelling or workplace.

Stachybotrys chartarum (SC) is a greenish black fungus that grows on material with a high cellulose and low nitrogen content, such as fiberboard, gypsum board, paper, dust, and lint, that becomes chronically moist or water damaged due to excessive humidity, water leaks, condensation, water infiltration, or flooding. No one knows how often this fungus is found since buildings are not routinely tested for its presence. However, one study in Southern California found it in 2.9% of 68 homes (Kozak). S. chartarum may (under specific environmental conditions) produce several toxic chemicals called mycotoxins. These chemicals are present on the spores and the small fungus fragments that are released into the air. Although spores and other parts of this fungus are usually trapped in a wet, slimy mass of fungal growth, many health officials are concerned that spores may become airborne when the fungus dies and dries up. Because S. chartarum spores are very small, some may be drawn into the lungs when airborne spores are inhaled.

Prevention of Mold in Dwellings: As part of routine building maintenance, buildings should be inspected for evidence of water damage and visible mold. Conditions causing mold (such as water leaks, condensation, infiltration, or flooding) should be corrected.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[concerned about politics]

"They have lost their money, and the mothers have lost their children..." -- O.Bin ladin video.

[patriciaruth]

In more normal times, one would confidently consider Fifth Disease as a likely diagnosis due to the time of the year. Rash generally lasts about six weeks; it's probably viral but because nobody every got really sick with it, not enough research was done to find out the specific etiology or develop a test to diagnose it.

[patriciaruth]

Everybody in the family should probably have throat cultures, the real ones, not the office ten minute test.

A child can have a strep throat and then it may go away but the child may develop rheumatic fever and even heart damage if it isn't treated in a timely fashion.

[patriciaruth]

For those interested in looking it up, it's proably spelled pityriasis rosea.

[SarahW]

Absolutely not. The rash was not typical of Roseola, either. It was raised lesions, not flat dots. An Enterovirus seems a likely culprit.

[sarasmom]

May I suggest "Blue Moon" A robust Belgium wheat ale.
5th disease is not News. Meningitus is not News.

I spent four days in ICU a few years ago. My 2yr old daughter brought home Meningitus to me. She had a two day low grade fever. I had a $13,000.00 4 day ICU Hospital bill and many months of recovery.Thank God I had insurance!Dont let the terrorists win!Especially when they are not even trying !

[danzaroni]

I had a rash that had me scratching my head. Turned out to be scalp psoriasis.

[Ditter]

Oh gosh, my backyard must be a hot bed of Cox-Sackie disease. :9{

[JohnBovenmyer]

Putting on my Dermatologist hat this sure doesn't sound like fifth disease (parvovirus)--wrong appearance and location, roseola--wrong appearance and much too old age group, or pityriasis rosea--wrong appearance and way too many putative cases at once.

It doesn't sound like these kids are sick, rather they just think their skin looks a bit different. My guess is things have gotten cold, they've cranked the furnace up at school, the humidity is dropping and everyone's skin is getting dried out. Stir in school phobia and routine teen hysteria and you've got an epidemic. I had a girl this age in yesterday, a safe distance from the Washington Post here in Iowa, with similar complaints. Objectively she was very unimpressive, just dry skin and a bit of keratosis pilaris (small uniform scaly bumps at hair follicles which are sometimes a bit red), which can be aggravated by dry skin. KP is very common but non-dermatologists possess great ignorance of it. It is generally ignored by everyone except hyper-observant (i.e. normal) kids.

[krogers58]

What did you expect to add to this discussion, other than to terrorize people? I don't see how, in any way, this article and the discussions, relate to your article.

[krogers58]

What did you expect to add to this discussion, other than to terrorize people? I don't see how, in any way, this article and the discussions, relate to your article.

For those of you who don't know what article I am talking about, he posted an article on Ebola virus.

[ChemistCat]

I had that. Very mild symptoms in my case; the worst was a blistery (and I recall itchy) rash on the palms of my hand. A non-event, really. But the CDC ought to be on top of anything like this from the get go. Better a million false alarms than one undiagnosed case of smallpox sitting in a very busy ER waiting room somewhere for six hours plus (not uncommon for the kind of clinics the indigent have to use.)

[ChemistCat]

I stand corrected from the peanut gallery. I had Coxsackie, not Fifth, and while I didn't get very sick, the 7 year old who gave it to me was very ill for quite some time.

[patriciaruth]

Sounds like a reasonable hypothesis. I couldn't find or access the article with the descriptions, so I was just suggesting something to be included in the differential before I saw it had already been brought up a few times.

I was having fun vomiting up 4 slices of pizza while I was trying to think; not a good idea.