Viral rash - GP hasn't tested to rule out rubella or measles

[MummyCoolski]

DS (1yo) had had a fever, cough and runny eyes on and off for about 10 days. He had been to the doctors twice and they felt he was okay, just a virus, but yesterday evening he developed a blanching rash on his trunk, neck and face, slightly spreading to the top of his limbs.

At the GP today she said it was a viral rash, did look like rubella or even maybe measles, but that they wouldn't test. Advice was to keep him home until rash disappears, give Calpol for temperature and bring him back if he gets worse. She agreed that I needed to let nursery and other parents of kids he has seen know.

Got home and looked up on NHS and it says that both rubella and measles are notifiable, and suspected and confirmed cases must be reported. It also said that they can test fairly easily.

Should he have been tested? Do I need to go back or if management of the different possibilities is the same, shall I just leave it?

Thanks!

If you are worried always go back, you know your little one. Chances are he is fine, my DD has just had a similar thing and is fine now, but if it will help put your mind at rest don't hesitate.

I went to the docs three times for the same thing once, she was fine after a few weeks and maybe I annoyed them but hey, better safe than sorry! and nothing is more important than your baby :) that's just my opinion. Hope all is well.

I would go back and ask for the test. They are notifiable diseases and it would be useful to know if he has it!

Thanks both. I work in health research, so it seems crazy to me that it is information they could have but choose not to (not sure whether it's cost or whether because the test is invasive - blood test).

I keep asking myself what the benefit is to me/him of knowing which virus he has and I can't quite put my finger on it! I'm confident if he gets worse that I should seek help, so it isn't that.

Obviously there are public health issues around measles and rubella, but I'm wearing my mummy-hat at the moment and think the GP should take the initiative on that!

I think it is just a swab to test for it while they have it - for measles anyway. I could be wrong!

Ds often has a viral rash. He's been tested (blood) many times, but that's because he gets the non-blanching ones, sometimes coming out so quickly you can see it.

On the basis of how traumatic getting blood at that age is, unless things seem to be going downhill, I'd be happy to skip a blood test, if that's what they have to do.

From NHS on diagnostic testing here

my daughter also gets viral rashes, I wouldn't worry tbh.

Thanks everyone, DS is much better, in fact he followed the description of rubella perfectly, down to the three-day rash.

What was puzzling me is that the doc felt it probably was rubella, slight chance of measles and otherwise an unnamed virus causing it, but that she had not ruled out the two notifiable diseases.

From the point of managing my son's illness, I guess it didn't make a difference as he had no complications and recovered quickly. Given that he attends nursery and we had been to a wedding and a birthday party over the weekend (before a rash appeared), I thought it would have been useful to know what it was in case of a mini-epidemic. Certainly the NHS seems to consider that best-practise.

So glad he's feeling better :)

Both of our boys had rubella and I'm pretty sure it wasn't reported. Makes you wonder how accurate the figures for reported cases are