To ask how much I should be worrying about slapped cheek?

[Orangebaguette]

Name change, as to not give identifying details.

This is my first pregnancy and I am worried about the risk of me contracting the parvovirus (slapped cheek).

I work in a number of schools and nurseries, up to 5 different ones a week. Sometimes with key stage 1 but mainly reception and nursery, some of which take children from 2+.

Of course little children don’t keep their distance nor would I ever want them to. I am just worried on a personal level because it’s not as if I work with the same group of children every day and know who’s poorly and who isn’t - I don’t, it’s all unknown. The thing about slapped cheek is that once the rash appears the child is no longer infectious. It’s when they’re coughing and sneezing that they are. So a sneeze could just be a cold, but it could also be slapped cheek, and I’ll have no way of ever knowing if that child did have that IYSWIM.

I spoke to my midwife at my booking appointment and she mentioned that I should just let her know if I think I’ve been exposed. I’m going to have no idea, because of my role.

I hate having it in the back of mind that it could be a risk.

AIBU to be concerned? What can I do to mitigate?

When there were cases in my school, I stayed off until the hospital checked my bloods to see if I had immunity. I did - although I never knew I’d had it so if you’ve worked with chn for a while you may have immunity too.

I've never heard of anyone ever having slapped cheek. I've just messaged the mums group chat and they've all said the same. Is it known as something else usually? I wouldn't worry about it unless it's been doing the rounds at your setting.

Same happen to me as Oldermumofone I was told by the doctor that most adults are actually immune.

Slapped cheek is going round the primary school I work in at the moment.
Can you ask to see if your immunity can be tested OP?

It’s going round my children’s school at the moment too.

Really 😖 any one year group hit the worst? Know it can vary. I’ve spent a lot of time specifically in nursery and reception lately, in a couple of schools. It’s so hard to know. I don’t want to go tomorrow now but don’t know how I’d tell my boss as they wouldn’t get cover.

I might ask the midwife again for an immunity test. I don’t know if its unreasonable to not go in until then

My son has just got it and 3 others have had it at his childminders.

I'm 28 weeks so the midwife is going to check my booking in bloods to see if I'm immune, if not I think I will just get more scans as it's before 24 weeks they're more worried about but there is still a very small chance of issues

Honestly, if you've been working in schools for a while then you are extremely likely to have already be exposed to it in the past and be immune. Most people develop immunity during childhood I believe. I was teaching during all three of my pregnancies, certainly during one of them I was potentially exposed to slapcheek. I also spoke to my midwife and I think I was sent for a blood test and told I already had immunity. Or they may have been able to check from a blood test I had recently had taken, I can't entirely remember now but I definitely remember them confirming I was immune.

Tell your midwife you are concerned you have been exposed (you almost certainly have recently seen a red faced child, it's not a big stretch) and please can you be tested.

Gosh, definitely seems to be doing the rounds then. What were his symptoms before the rash if you don’t mind me asking x

My older children caught this when I was 24 weeks pregnant and very sadly I did have a stillbirth.
This over twenty-five years ago and I think there is more information now about the risks involved and it does depend what stage of pregnancy you are at.

Purely as a numbers person, if you’ve been working with this age group for a while I’d say the risks are very small, from the point of view of the chance that you’ve never been exposed to it in your past, but this is the year you do get exposed.
I agree with the person who says tell the midwife you’re worried you’ve been exposed and she will organise a test to see if you have antibodies already

3 years in this role and 1 year in another, with this age group

Other than that, my only other possible exposures was my own schooling.

I had it when I was 22 weeks pregnant with my second. I had to go to hospital to get checked over by midwives but they weren't overly concerned. They said the risks were higher before 20 weeks. But this was 8 years ago so advice may have changed

I had to stay in bed for a day or so but was ok after that

One of the teachers in our school got tested when there was an outbreak and she was pregnant. The GP was astounded when the results came back - she wasn't immune - he couldn't understand how she had been working with children for a decade without catching it. She was signed off work until she had reached what was deemed to be a safe stage of her pregnancy. Definitely ask to be tested, OP.

@Orangebaguette no symptoms before hand, I was told on Friday when I collected him that the 3 kids he was with on Monday had come out in the rash and one was quite poorly then on Monday his cheeks were a bit red. He was a bit clingy last week and complained of a sore head last week but he's 18 months and teething so I don't know if it was the slapcheek or not

Wow. I will. I’m not sure what I should do for tomorrow. They’ll have no cover and be annoyed (I worry) if I don’t go.

Goodness 18 months is young to get it, they say it’s usually 5-10 year olds don’t they? I hope he feels much better soon x

My 13 month old has just had it. We thought he just had a cold but then after a few days the rash appeared. One of the mums at his childminders is pregnant and her midwife has organised a test for immunity. My dr when diagnosing it in my son said she has been seeing a couple pf cases a week in kids under 7