5 Things to Know About Parvovirus Amid the Recent Uptick

Some groups are at increased risk for serious complications from an infection

Rachel Nania,

AARP

Comments

En español

Published August 26, 2024

a woman rubbing her hands together with parvovirus b19 on a pink background

Photo Collage: AARP (Source: Getty Images(2))

Health officials are tracking an increase in activity for a common virus that’s often associated with school-age children. A recent health alert issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says “public health authorities in 14 European countries observed unusually high numbers of cases” of parvovirus B19 in the first quarter of 2024, and there are indications that it’s spreading in the United States, as well.

“It’s not something to be alarmed about, but it is definitely something to be aware of,” says Kevin Lloyd, M.D., an infectious disease specialist at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

Parvovirus, a highly contagious bug spread by respiratory droplets, typically causes mild illness in healthy individuals. Plenty of people don’t experience symptoms, but those who do may have a fever, headache, cough, sore throat, joint pain and a rash that, when on the face, can look like a slapped cheek.

Because of the distinctive rash, a parvovirus infection is sometimes called “slapped cheek” syndrome and is also known as fifth disease, because historically it was fifth in a list of common childhood infections characterized by a rash.

However, serious complications from a parvovirus infection can occur in some people. Here’s what you need to know about the virus during the current uptick.

1. Majority of adults have had parvovirus by 40

There’s some good news if you’ve already had parvovirus: Once you’ve had it, you develop lifelong immunity, according to the Mayo Clinic. About half of adults have had parvovirus by the age of 20, and more than 70 percent of adults have detectable antibodies by age 40, the CDC’s health alert explains.

2. People with blood disorders, weakened immune systems can develop serious complications

Among the three groups at higher risk for complications from a parvovirus infection are people with underlying blood disorders, such as sickle cell disease and thalassemia; and individuals with a weakened immune system from cancer treatments, an organ transplant or HIV. Pregnant women make up the third high-risk group.

Parvovirus symptoms

Common symptoms from an infection can include:

Fever
Upset stomach
Headache
Runny nose
Rash (more common in kids)
Joint pain (more common in adults)

Source: Mayo Clinic

That’s because parvovirus infects young red blood cells, says Ericka Hayes, M.D., senior medical director of infection prevention at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “When those get wiped out by this virus, and you can’t keep up with the demand, you can get very, very life-threateningly anemic,” Hayes says. “So that’s probably one of the more common serious side effects we can see with parvovirus in those [high-risk] individuals.”

While there is no specific treatment for a parvovirus infection, red blood cell transfusions and intravenous immunoglobulin are often used to treat this severe type of anemia, the CDC says.

Other complications from an infection can include encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle). “But those are really uncommon, even in people who are immunocompromised,” Hayes says.

Parvovirus can cause prolonged infections in higher-risk individuals, Lloyd says, “so if they’re not feeling well or not recovering like they would expect when they get a normal kind of respiratory illness, it’s a good reason to go in and see their doctor to make sure that they don’t need a workup to look for parvovirus.”

A diagnosis can be made with a blood test.

3. The current uptick may be due to our ‘return to normal’

Unlike flu and RSV, parvovirus tends to circulate year-round, though, according to the CDC more infections seem to happen in the late winter, spring and early summer.

Parvovirus and pets

You may be familiar with parvovirus if you have a pet. But parvovirus B19 infects only people; you can’t get it from a dog or cat. “Also, dogs and cats cannot get parvovirus B19 from an infected person. Dogs and cats can get infected with other parvoviruses that do not infect people,” the CDC explains.

As for why we’re seeing an uptick now, Hayes says that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic “many of our viruses are not behaving as they once did, and are doing unpredictable and unexpected things. And I think, potentially, we could put this into the category of that.”

Parvovirus spreads like many other bugs — through respiratory droplets from infected people. It can also spread through blood. Hayes suspects that during the pandemic there was less parvovirus spread, since many people were wearing masks and social distancing.

“And so it may well be that now that we’re back in the normal swing of things, and normal transmission is occurring, that people who normally would have gotten it gradually over two to three years, are kind of all getting it at once,” Hayes says.

A spike, like the one being reported now, is also not unprecedented, Lloyd says. “We tend to see outbreaks of parvovirus every few years or so,” he says. According to the CDC, minor outbreaks occur about every three to four years.

4. Symptoms can look different in adults

A classic parvovirus symptom in children is the “slapped cheek” rash on the face that typically appears a few days after a fever and flu-like symptoms.

Adults can also get a rash from a parvovirus infection later into the disease, though sometimes this appears on the hands and feet, Hayes says. However a more common symptom among adults is joint pain — usually in smaller joints, like in the hands, wrists and ankles, Lloyd says.

“And [the pain] is usually both sides,” Lloyd adds. “It’s not like one side hurts, it’s usually both sides.” Joint pain can persist for weeks, sometimes for months or longer, the CDC says.

“But again, these are things that generally self-resolve for most healthy individuals,” Hayes adds.

Usually by the time an infected person develops a rash or joint pain they are no longer contagious; people are most contagious during the first few days of symptoms.

5. There are a few different ways to prevent an infection

Although there isn’t a vaccine that can help prevent a parvovirus infection, there are some steps you can take to lower the likelihood of getting infected while the virus’ activity remains elevated — and most people are familiar with them at this stage.

“Really, the prevention strategies for coronavirus would be very similar,” Hayes says, and they are “excellent hand hygiene, wearing a mask in large group settings, trying to minimize large group setting interactions in small spaces, things like that.”

Another important one: not going out when you’re sick and exposing others. “If you’re having high fevers, or family members are having high fevers, that’s a good time to stay home,” Lloyd says. And if you are at higher risk for complications from an infection, it’s important to “be careful to avoid contact with people that are having high fevers or not feeling well, to reduce that risk of transmission to yourself,” he adds.

For most people, Hayes says, “this is a ‘don’t panic’ situation.” It’s a common virus that has been infecting humans for many years. “And most children and adults tend to develop pretty mild disease.”

Those at high risk will want to practice good hand hygiene, avoid sharing food or drinks and consider wearing a respirator or mask, the CDC says.

%{postComment}%