Like many of the illnesses covered here, I recall reading bits and pieces over the years. Unless I had some personal experience with them, I didn’t remember much else. Roseola is one of those that I recall seeing in lists of childhood illnesses. Is it as troublesome as impetigo? As contagious? Merely annoying? Can there be complications? Surely there had to be some reason why it made those lists, but heck if I could remember.
And of all the primary off-grid medical references, only Armageddon Medicine had any mention. One simple sentence. I’d prefer to have a little more information.
So why be concerned with having more details? I think it is easy for experienced parents to look at childhood illnesses now and say, “Hey, if this bug doesn’t pass in a day or two or three, I’ll take Little Johnny to the doctor.” Because the doctor is always there as backup if things take a turn for the worse. But what if there is no backup? Or what if there is a backup, but it’s expensive? Or hard to get to? Like most of our concerns with health issues are worse at night and on weekends. When things fall apart and when it comes to illnesses in our loved ones, in our minds it’s always going to be at night or on a weekend. Probably a holiday weekend at that.
So while roseola is a very minor illness that will pass without issue (and why it receives no coverage in off-grid medicine texts), it’s one to become familiar with to avoid the Friday night freak-out session. Just because a doctor isn’t concerned about it doesn’t mean we won’t be. Until we know about it. Knowledge is power.
The inspiration for this article comes from the Quick Guide to Common Childhood Diseases (thanks again to Exile for the recommendation).
Roseola is a common childhood illness affecting primarily children between 6 and 24 months of age. While it very rarely affects children after 4 years of age, that doesn’t mean they and older persons can’t carry the virus. They are the vectors carrying the virus to the babies through nose and throat secretions—breathing in the airborne droplets carrying the virus. The incubation period ranges from 5 to 15 days, and it’s believed that the patient is most contagious during the fever period, before the rash appears. The exact duration of infectiousness is not known.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Fever (sometimes over 103°F) that appears suddenly and lasts 3-5 days. A febrile seizure may occur due to the rapid rise in temperature.
- Swelling of the eyelids is possible
- Pink, rosy rash usually develops as the fever resolves. The rash first develops on the neck and chest and then spreads to the rest of the body. The rash spots turn white when gently pressed. They may have a lighter color ring around them, and the rash generally lasts a few hours up to two days.
- Irritability
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Swollen neck glands
TREATMENT
There are no specific recommendations for treatment, though Tylenol or ibuprofen may be administered for fever. Rest, plenty of fluids, and a cool cloth to the forehead are about it.[1]
Young children who have a febrile seizure can to have seizures long after the original temperature issue is gone. They often grow back out of them as teens and they can be managed during the interviening years with proper medication.... But some don't and that assumes you have access the meds.
ReplyDeleteSome of the meds have side effects and require kidney function tests frequently. Others are less harmful but are considered a controled substance and not something you can easily stockpile legally.
Its vetter to keep small kids fevers as low as possible rather than risk a seizure.
Exile1981