I have sent ds in to school with a rash

[foxinsocks]

Ds has had a full body rash (v v faint) since Friday afternoon. He has not been unwell at all. He had very red cheeks on Sat afternoon and having looked on the nhs site, I'm almost convinced he's had this \link{http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en.aspx?articleId=424&sectionId=7048\slapped cheek syndrome} (called fifth disease). I don't want to cart him off to the doc because he has not been unwell (and I've been there 3 times in 4 weeks with dd and it's one of those places where you have to phone every morning to get a blooming appointment).

However, the nhs site has said that this rash can last a few weeks - it also said that once this rash appears, this thing is no longer contagious.

The teachers looked v doubtful when I told them about the rash but he really is so 100% normal that no-one could claim he is unwell.

Do you think I've been unreasonable sending him in? I'm normally v sensible about keeping my kids at home but I really could not see the point of making him stay at home when he is 100% fine.

It is v contagious!

not once the rash appears though!

Do you mean the red cheeks are still there or the lacy body rash. It is very contagious and not good for pg women who are not immune. ds had it as a baby and was really poorly.

yes but according to the nhs, my little monkey has already given it to everyone!! once the rash appears, it says he is not contagious

of course, if I knew he had been harbouring some illness, I would have kept him at home but unfortunately (for everyone else!) he was symptom free!

no the red cheeks were there on Sat - the lacy rash is still there on his tum (v faint)

When my ds's had the school were not a bit concerned, they said all the children had had it/got it so to let him come it

oh that makes me feel better - I trust my own judgement but their school is always v quick to send them home. Dd got sent home twice in Spring last year because of her hayfever (and it wasn't even that bad!).

Someone in DS2's class had it recently, but as you said, foxinsocks, once the rash is out it's no longer contagious. You might want to inform the school because of the potential risk for women in the first half of pregnancy - they would then be aware at least that they've been potentially explosed to slapped cheek. They put up a notice at DS2's school to let parents know.

I hadn't thought of that singersgirl so I'll ask them to let people know.

ohh...yes they had notices up at our school too.

(actually it was our old school but that's irrelevent)

dd3 had this last year
the school sent her home for 3 weeks until it was gone as she was a risk to pg women.

I told everyone at school although I took ds to the GP yesterday as he had a very nasty wound on his elbow and we had been swimming early last week and I thought it had got infected from our local (filthy) pool.

So now the poor child is on a 10 day course of antibs - his first course I think! She couldn't 100% identify the rash and thought that it could even have been a rash as a result of his infected wound but I guess we will never 100% know what it was.