Parvovirus Awareness

[gche]

I just wanted to post some recent information on Parvovirus - also known as ‘Slapped Cheek’ and ‘Fifths Disease’
I was looking for information about it but couldn’t find anything helpful online that had been posted recently. Without wanting to scare anybody, there seems to be a huge rise in cases - it’s a common childhood virus which, in children, comes out as a temperature or cold or feeling under the weather, followed by a bright red or pink rash on cheeks/face. It is really dangerous for pregnant women to contract it between 9 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. I read that about 50% of the population are already immune (how does anyone know this, given there is no testing done?!)
I caught, what I thought was flu at about 12 weeks pregnant. It started with shivers and fever and whole body aches. It moved on with headaches and aching wrists and joints. I also vomited for a whole day, but wondered if this was my morning sickness. I then felt very post-viral for a few weeks. Only then did I wake up one morning with a bright red face (the rash indicates the end of being infectious) which I had for a few days / it was hot and felt like I had been sunburnt.
I had a chance conversation with my sister who said her daughters had it recently and that their school had sent out a letter saying there was an insurgence of cases.
I called my midwife who said I needed to find out if I had immunity or had a recent infection for Parvovirus B19. She took it very seriously - the GP had barely heard of it and didn’t know how to spell it.

It turned out that it had been Parvovirus and I was referred to Fetal medicine to be monitored.
I went for there for a scan on Tuesday - I was 16 weeks pregnant - to find that the baby had died from contracting Parvovirus. To have seen a healthy and active baby on my scan at 12 and 13 weeks and to have a low risk Harmony test and perfect nuchal scans, to being told there was no heartbeat and fluid all over the baby has been beyond devastating. I believe the baby can suffer from severe anaemia and Fetal hydrops amongst other things.
The most concerning thing was that the consultant said they usually see 1 case a year and they had seen 4 cases in the past week.

I don’t want to scare people but everywhere I read (particularly on Mumsnet) that it was fine and nothing to worry about and that nearly everyone has immunity. If we are experiencing an endemic then I think people need to be aware and do what they can to protect pregnant women. If there is an outbreak of chickenpox, nurseries and schools and GPs circulate information immediately. I also think that women should be tested for immunity in their booking in bloods so at least if they aren’t immune they can take precautions. I am aware that after 18 weeks in utero there are things they can do if the baby is unwell but I suppose the more cases there are, the more likely there will be some tragic outcomes. I just want to raise some awareness because if it saves one babies life, it’s worth it.

I am so sorry for your loss, it is devastating.

You are spot on, there needs to be done to highlight the seriousness of slapcheek.
I am a primary teacher, at my booking appointment my midwife brought it up and told me the steps to follow if I come into contact. I also have a young dd so my midwife said if there was slapcheek in her nursery then I should get tested straight away and that she would actively encourage me to keep my child away for as long as possible.
My head teacher is great and emails all parents when we have cases of it at school. She tells the staff first and allows any pregnant and any weakened immune staff members to go home and get tested before returning to work.
I am genuinely shocked that most schools and nurseries don’t do this routinely.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm a primary school teacher and contracted parvo at some point between 22 weeks and 28 weeks. Fetal medicine picked it up when I went for a rescan.

There was lots of confusion about the condition of the baby but luckily my DD had only collected extra fluid around her abdomin, and I ended up with polyhydromanis so had to have fluid drained. I'm so lucky that I was exposed late in pregnancy and that my DD is fine now but it was an incredibly difficult third trimester and I was in hospital for several weeks as the extra fluid had shortened my cervix.

My midwide never informed me of the risks of slapped cheek, and my headteacher and SLT had no idea how much of a risk it posed.

I am so sorry for your devastating loss.

I searched for parvovirus because I was recently hospitalised with it for two weeks and still feel post viral three weeks beyond that. I recently had the face rash just this week. I had no idea it could be so serious in adults. The fact that you just posted this yesterday makes me wonder if there is a particularly nasty variant this spring (as it’s cyclical and usually peaks in spring), it’s a good thing for people to be aware of.

i don’t know where to begin with my story of parvovirus B19 - but what I do know is more awareness should be done.

Im currently recovering from birthing my second child that unfortunately died at 20 weeks due to me catching parvovirus b19 - I had no idea about it.

I noticed my dd wasn’t 100% while I was 15/16 weeks pregnant but she just seemed unsettled nothing that concerned me (she’s nearly 4) i saw a influencer mention her children had slapped cheek and that there was a outbreak but I didn’t think much of it just that it could possibly be that. (Note it can take ten days after catching for symptoms to come out)

i then had my 20 week scan at 19+3 and was told baby had fluid around chest and abdomen. We saw a consultant the following day had bloods and then was told my bloods showed parvovirus b19 I was still clinging onto hope about treatment but when we went to st Mary’s hospital and had the scan we were told the devastating news we were to late and baby had died.

I am angry I wasn’t made aware of viruses that were on the increase, I’m angry at myself for not doing more research.
but I want to try and make parvovirus b19 more aware especially how dangerous it is around pregnancy. I just don’t know how. We contacted our daughter’s nursery but they still haven’t made a post about it.

I’m in the thick of losing our baby, I’m broken and it could have been helped if I had known there was an outbreak or just something. I will never forgive myself.

i don’t know if this has added anything to your post but I know how you must be feeling and I’m so sorry there are no words to help ease the pain.

@Mylifeupsidedown I have sent you a private message. I am so so so sad and sorry to read your post xxx

@gche @Mylifeupsidedown I'm so sorry for your losses

My daughter developed a suspicious rash on her cheeks 2 days before my planned c-section and when I phoned maternity triage at the hospital to let them know and query any precautions for slapped cheek the lady had no idea what it even was. There does seem a real lack of awareness.

Thank you. I believe after 20 weeks the risks are lower in the virus affecting the baby. Don’t quote me on this though. But please if you have friends and family do tell them it’s dangerous the more people know the better for expecting mums. You never think it’ll be you until it is and it’s too late.

I’m so so sorry for everyone on this thread affected. This really is horrific.

Does anyone know what can be done to avoid catching this? Is it mainly trying to stay away from others? Is there anything else that can be done?

@paperdoll5 Thank you. I was amazed by how little the doctors know about it and how vague the information is.

@BlackThumb Thank you so much. Sorry - quite long reply coming up but I hope if anyone comes looking for information they might see this. Just a caveat - I am not a doctor or from the medical profession but when I lost my baby boy from Parvovirus at 16 weeks (a month ago) I decided to start reading up about it to try and find some answers in order to prevent others having to deal with the horrors of losing a baby who would have otherwise been healthy to something that seems to be so common but no-one knows much about.

From the research I have done, it seems there is nothing you can do to prevent yourself from catching it - apparently because it's such a common, often harmless childhood virus ('slapped cheek'), a lot of people already have immunity. (I, however, feel like this is an assumption - I am one of five children, brought up around babies and I have nieces and nephews and have a young son - I was told I was most probably immune but clearly wasn't) - perhaps I had some immunity, but in pregnancy my immune system was more susceptible? I don't know.

I also read in the June 2024 European Centre For Disease Prevention Brief that since March 2024 that 9 EU/EUA countries have reported an increase in detections of Parvovirus B19 - back in March the countries were France, Norway and Ireland amongst others - so this number has climbed. (will link below) The virus typically tails off in the Spring, start of the Summer - I'm not sure if this is still the case. The link to the article is below.

Looking back, knowing that there is a rise in cases, what I would also do now is:

I understand it is the riskiest to get it between week 9 and 20 of pregnancy so if it were to happen now, and I had known about it - I would try to avoid being around young children, I would have taken my son out of nursery between 9 and 20 weeks. I would maybe wash my hands more often, wear a mask etc and generally be careful and try to decrease potential exposure.

I would request the blood test for Parvovirus B19 immunity - it detects both IGG and IGM) in the booking in bloods or just get it done by a GP when you find out you are pregnant. (I think this should be included in booking gin bloods as a general rule) If you are immune then you shouldn't have anything to worry about - but should probably just be a bit careful and if you find out you aren't immune then you can take personal precautions. If the test shows that you currently have the infection then you should be referred to fetal medicine for monitoring and as you can see on some of the above posts - the outcome can be good.
The likelihood of it affecting a pregnancy seems to be low but in the ECDC report it says that the risk is 'low to moderate' currently considering the uncertainties about the circulation of the virus.

As the document says - it recommends that awareness is raised amongst clinicians and conduct risk communications to the people at risk - namely pregnant women and immunosuppressed individuals etc.

I asked my nursery to put up a poster and send an email - which they have done. I am about to request the same at my GP surgery attaching the below article. I am going to call my midwife I had and speak to her about it. The current advice on the NHS for parents is to send children to school if they have slapped cheek. I fully understand that viruses need to circulate for herd immunity but pregnant women cannot be thrown to the wolves - they need to be made aware if there are cases circulating and be able to make personal decisions.

As I've said, I don't want to be a scaremonger, especially when pregnancy is stressful enough but knowledge is power and I wish I had been aware that this existed and that there was an increase in cases - more so that usual - and that I was susceptible. It might not have changed anything, but it also might have done.

This is the article.
https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/Risks%20posed%20by%20reported%20increased%20circulation%20of%20human%20parvovirus%20B19%20FINAL.pdf

So sorry for your losses, to the OP and PP who shared your experiences. You're doing important work raising awareness of this, I will be more vigilant and ask for the immunity bloods at booking as I have a toddler in a large nursery. Thanks for sharing and thinking of you both 💐