Little Bean has Slapped Cheek!

And no, I didn’t do it! For the last couple of days, my post-birthday princess hasn’t really been herself; she has been very quiet and subdued. I mentioned it to her key worker at pre-school, who said that chicken pox was doing the rounds, so it was possible that she had the onset of that as they can be quiet when they are coming down with it. I have been checking her at regular intervals for any signs of spots, but the only noticeable thing was a redness on her cheeks right below her eyes. I kept asking her if she was tired or hot, but she said no, she just felt ‘a bit poorly’.

Then, this morning, when she woke up, she looked like she’d had a bad allergic reaction to something as her face was angry, red and puffy, so I took her to the Doctor. (I took this picture tonight when it was much better, though it was still a bit puffy.) They said straight away that she has “Slapped Cheek” and not to worry as it doesn’t really do much other than make her feel a bit pants for a few days and that now that the redness has come out, she is no longer contagious.

Little Bean seemed quite happy enough in herself so I continued with my plans to take her to my Auntie’s house for the morning and she had a great time, on the drive home she was regaling me with tales of her morning and the game she had played with Auntie B. We had some lunch, and she took herself off to bed for her afternoon nap and fell straight to sleep without any fuss. After about an hour, I woke her up to see if she wanted to go and play at her friend’s house, which lives a couple of doors away (she had knocked for her whilst Little Bean was sleeping).

She excitedly said, “Yes, please,” and then immediately, her eyes rolled in her head, and she started to drift off to sleep. A few seconds later, she climbed out of bed and sat on my knee but didn’t look at herself. I asked her again if she wanted to play with her friend or go back to bed, and to my surprise, she climbed straight back into bed and went back to sleep. That’s when I knew that she wasn’t right, as she would never pass up the opportunity to play with her friends.
When she finally woke 45 minutes later, she was very teary and clingy, poor baby girl!

I had never heard of Slapped Cheek before today, so when I was told there was nothing to worry about, I didn’t! Well, that is until someone mentioned that it could be harmless to pregnant women as it can harm their unborn baby. My mind raced immediately to one of my best friends, Karin Joyce, over at Cafebebe as we spent loads of time with her and her daughter, Little Miss, who also attends the same preschool as Little Bean. My Cousin C who has been to our house recently and so I had to make the phone call and tell them the news that they needed to get checked out. Obviously, I know that we haven’t been trying to pass on the virus on purpose, but it still made me feel bad to think that their unborn babies could be at risk. I really hope that they will both be okay.

Slapped Cheek Facts

• It is a common childhood viral infection, though it can affect adults too.
• Slapped cheek syndrome is caused by a virus called Parvovirus B19
• Also known as the Fifth Disease or erythema infectiosum
• Symptoms are often mild and similar to a cold, or sometimes have no symptoms at all.
• 50-80% of all adults will have been infected by it, and once you have had it, you will have life-long immunity to it
• Usually affects children aged 3-15 years
• Usually develops in later Winter or early Spring
• It is highly contagious and spreads through airborne particles rather, like the cold and flu.

At-risk Groups

• People with certain blood disorders – such as sickle cell anaemia, where the blood doesn’t contain enough healthy red blood cells.
• Pregnant women without immunity – can increase the risk of miscarriage because the infection can cause serious anaemia to the unborn child.
• People with a weakened immune system – people who are receiving a treatment such as chemotherapy or who have a condition such as HIV.

Outlook

• In children – excellent, symptoms usually pass within 4-5 weeks, and serious complications are very rare.
• ‘At risk’ – good if recognised and treated promptly
• People with blood disorders – usually will require a blood transfusion
• Pregnant women with a potential risk of having a miscarriage may require hospitalisation so that their unborn babies can receive a blood transfusion
• People with weakened immune system – usually treated with an injection of antibodies that have been donated by a person who has immunity to the infection

Information sourced from NHS.UK