Parvo virus aka slapcheek is highly contagious and is spread by droplet. This is why a large number of the adult population are immune because a large number have been in contact with it.
So, you sneeze an put your hand over your mouth and then shake my hand and I wipe my mouth and there is a good chance that communication has taken place.
Slapcheek is often a very mild illness in children with a runny nose but the red slapped affect the cheeks get is a give away.
Generally speaking youshould be screened / tested for CMV, Parvo, toxo, varicella, rubella on your routine bloods. Check with your doctor. If you haven't been tested it's worthwhile just so you know that you need to be a little more wary.
CMV, Parvo and toxo are not illnesses that you can be vaccinated for so the only immunity you will have is if you have been exposed.
I hope that helps
Slap cheek is nothing to brush aside. Especially when you are pregnant, or in the early stages of being pregnant. My sons preschool teacher alerted me and two other pregnant ladies, that one of the kids may have has slap sleek!.
So i went to the doctors straight away, and got a blood test done. Lucklily nothing was detected, although i am not immune to it. And the incubation time is around 2 weeks, before flu like symptoms occur. Luckily nothing happened.
Unfortunately a friend of mine, told me a work mate of hers, had miscarried due to her duaghter catching slap cheek. So if you hear anything about slap cheek, get yourself checked out ASAP.
I was diagnosed as having parvo virus (aka slap cheek) during my first pregnancy. I found out when I was about 6 weeks pregnant after the blood test was routinely ordered. It was extremelly stressful and I felt really down as I didn't understand the implications of being diagnosed. I ended up having fortnightly ultrasounds to make sure that the baby's heart and brain did not have abnormal levels of fluid. I had these ultrasounds until about 20 weeks.
I ended up having a perfectly healthy baby boy. Interestingly i have found out that the chances of parvo affecting a fetus are very slim - however that does not ease the stress in the meantime.
Another interesting thing to note, is that we are now TTC no. 2. I asked for a blood test to test my immunity to parvo prior to TTC back in November 07. It came back as positive to parvo yet again. The GP and I were both dumbfounded, as you cannot catch parvo twice, and it is impossible for me to be infected for such a long period of time. So now I wonder whether I really had it to begin with or whether it is just an anomoly in my bloods that cannot be explained??!
I know how stressful it can be to have parvo in the air - let alone to be infected, but my little boy is perfectly healthy and wasn't affected by it!
I just wanted to bump this thread to the top as I found it when doing a search on slap cheek when my son came home from school with it. I'm not pregnant but I realise how many pregnant women haven't even heard of slap cheek so thought the issue should be raised again.
As soon as I realised my son had it I rang the school and told them as we have a pregnant teacher. The main problem with slap cheek is that you don't know you have it untill the rash appears on the cheeks, and you are also only infectious untill that stage, so it has pretty much been spread around before you have even found out you have it. It is spread by respiratory droplets (coughing).
So any teachers or childcare workers really need to get checked for immunity to the virus as soon as they find out they are pregnant (not waiting for an outbreak) so they can be more cautious on the job.
I found out on Sunday night that I've potentially been exposed to slap cheek last week, so i went to have blood tests yesterday.
im 9 weeks so quite stressed an axious about the whole thing. My couins daughter, who is the oe who has it, her doctor says the chances of me getting it from her are small since i didnt have physical contact with her - she qwas int he same room and I sat across the table from her, but not sneezing/coughing/touching etc.
so I'll find out the inital test results by Thursday this week. I dint know if i was tested for immunity to it last time when I was pg with DS - would my dr still have those results on file, it was 3 years ago now.
Ladies,
If any of you have found out that you have come in contact with slap cheek, get to the doctors straight away!
I came in contact with slap cheek at 10 weeks pregnant but did not know until after my 12 week scan. When I went for my scan everything was fine and looking well.
When I found out I had come in contact with it I went to the doctors and got my bloods done. They took 4 weeks to come back and they showed I have caught slap cheek during my pregnancy. Bu this time I was nearly 16 weeks pregnant. I booked myself in for a scan at the hospital as my doctor told me not to worry! The day of my scan was the day I turned 16 weeks. When I went for my scan it was then I found out that my baby had died. Heartbreaking.
Looking a the scan the consultant realised that the measurement of the baby was 12 weeks so it had happened just after my scan. My body didn't start to get rid of the baby so I carried it around for 4 weeks without knowing!! therefore I had to then have a D&C the next day!
The other day I went back to the consultant, it has now been a month since everything has happened, and the consultant confirmed that it was slap cheek that caused the baby to die. Please ladies get it checked out and don't leave it! I agree there is no info on this horrible virus and something needs to be done about it! The most heartbreaking thing was that the consultant went through all the results and told me that the baby was perfect. The dates and size of it were perfect. It had all limbs and all digits on each limb and all the organs were formed and working properly! It just shows that even healthy and ion the womb slap cheek can cause series problems.
I don't want to worry people and miscarriages due to slap cheek are very low but never ignore it! I caught it from my little brother and I was only with him for a few hours one day!
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