Roseola

Roseola is considered one of the classic childhood rashes, meaning that most kids will get roseola at some point before they start elementary school. It spreads from one of their friends by way of respiratory secretions, just like colds. It is a viral illness with a classic presentation. The first sign is a high fever. The virus that causes roseola, HHV-6, likes to cause high fevers in kids.  And when I say high, I mean high: 104, 105, and sometimes 106s (°F). Now remember, going back to the fever section, that even though these are super-high fevers, the body does not make a temperature it cannot handle. You may want to review the febrile seizure article as these high-spiking fevers make roseola the number one cause of febrile seizures in kids. 

The fevers often last for 3-5 days without really any other signs, as the kiddos look like normal happy playful kids when they don’t have a 104 °F fever. But then, after the last fever breaks, a rash appears all over the kiddo. This viral rash can be quite extensive but is usually not itchy. Once the rash occurs, the infection is pretty much over, and the kiddo will feel great. They will just look crazy with these red spots everywhere. The body does a good job at getting rid of roseola on its own, and there are no specific medicines for roseola other than Tylenol/acetaminophen or Advil/Motrin/ibuprofen, if your kiddo is over 6 months of age, to help lower the fever.