Parvovirus B19 is transmitted through droplets from symptomatic people and from infected people who don’t show any signs of infection.
The CDC noted there have been increasing reports of complications among pregnant women and people with sickle cell disease.
In Europe, more than a dozen countries also saw “unusually high numbers of cases” of parvovirus B19 in the first quarter of 2024, CDC’s alert said.
Parvovirus B19 is highly infectious.
Parvovirus B19 can cause severe drops in blood count, or anemia, for people with blood disorders or weakened immune systems.
More individuals in the U.S. S. have contracted a seasonal respiratory virus that is highly contagious and can seriously endanger both pregnant women and those with blood disorders, according to health authorities.
Parvovirus B19 spreads through droplets from both symptomatic and non-symptomatic infected individuals. Blood plasma samples, anecdotal reports, and other evidence suggest that the virus is spreading this summer. The U.S. S. The public, healthcare organizations, and providers of care received a broad warning on Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As stated in their alert, the CDC reported that across all age groups, the percentage of individuals who tested positive for antibodies—a sign of a recent infection—rose from less than 3% in 2022 to early in 2024 to 10% in June. Childhoods between the ages of five and nine have seen the biggest increase. The samples from plasma donors revealed that the virus DNA prevalence increased from 1.5% in December to 19.9% in June. Pregnant women and those with sickle cell disease have been reporting more and more complications, according to the CDC. According to CDC’s alert, “unusually high numbers of cases” of parvovirus B19 were also reported in more than a dozen European countries in the first quarter of 2024.
The parvovirus B19 is very contagious. According to the CDC, half of the individuals infected within a household can contract the infection. During outbreaks, similar numbers of students and staff are observed at schools. The infection is mild in most cases. According to the CDC, symptoms include fever, headache, coughing, and sore throats. A reddish-colored rash resembling a “slapped cheek” is often present in children who have fever or flu-like symptoms. It is possible for adults to experience swollen, painful joints, which typically subside after one to three weeks.
People with blood disorders or compromised immune systems may experience severe reductions in blood count, also known as anemia, as a result of parvovirus B19. Patients receiving organ transplants, those with HIV, those with leukemia or other cancers, and those with blood conditions like sickle cell and thalassemia are among those who are more vulnerable. Bad results are not common. They include encephalitis, or swelling of the brain, hepatitis, and myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle.
Babies can contract the virus from pregnant women. An occasional miscarriage may result from this.
