Synonyms
Erythema infectiosum, “5th disease
Definition
Rubella ringworm is one of the infectious diseases of viral origin that occur mainly in childhood. They fall into the category of infectious diseases associated with a flat skin rash. Ringel rubella is a self-limiting disease – it subsides by itself without therapy.
The causes
The pathogen of the ringed rubella is a virus: Parvovirus B19. This virus is spread worldwide, especially in the temperate climate zones. The virus finds its way into the body via the respiratory tract.
Here it multiplies in the mucous membranes. It is transmitted from person to person by so-called droplet infection. The disease is thus passed on for example by sneezing, coughing and the like. Rarely this also happens through infected hands or blood products (blood transfusion). Once the rash has appeared, the patients are no longer contagious.
The incubation period
The time from infection to the appearance of the first symptoms is 6-14 days. Usually the infection is asymptomatic, that means without symptoms. Only in less than a quarter of the infected persons a rash actually occurs.
Symptoms in the early stages
In some cases of rubella infections there are no specific symptoms. However, if clinical symptoms do appear, they appear after an incubation period of about 4-14 days, i.e. the time between infection with the virus and the outbreak of the disease. In many cases, flu-like symptoms are reported with fever, headache and listlessness.
If the exanthema develops, the disease is no longer contagious. If haemolytic anaemia is present, i.e. anaemia caused by premature decay of the red blood cells, the ringworm virus can aggravate the underlying disease by attacking the red blood cells. The formation of red blood cells can be drastically disrupted by the infection and can affect anaemia. This dreaded condition is called aplastic crisis. People with a compromised immune system may experience further complications and difficulties in the early stages.
