A respiratory disease known as parvovirus B19 is on the rise in the U.S. among all age groups, according to a recent advisory from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC issued the health alert on Aug. 13 after European public health authorities reported “unusually” high numbers of cases in 14 countries during the first quarter of 2024, the advisory said.
The virus typically causes a blotchy rash on the cheeks that appears as if someone has slapped them — hence its nickname, “slapped cheek disease.”
“Parvovirus can be a very mild infection in many people, but if you are pregnant or are immunocompromised in any way, you are at a much greater risk of serious illness,” Dr. Aaron Glatt, chief of infectious diseases at Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital on Long Island, New York, told Fox News Digital.
Parvovirus B19 is a virus that can be easily spread by respiratory droplets in the air after an infected person coughs or sneezes, according to the CDC.
Children are often infected at school and spread it to other kids through close personal contact, then later to adults when they come home, experts say.
Approximately 50% of people who were not previously infected contract the virus from an infected family member — while 20% to 50% of susceptible students and staff become infected during school outbreaks, the advisory notes.
“The virus is highly contagious and can spread asymptomatically,” Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News and clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told Fox News Digital.
