“An epidemic of infections Parvovirus B 19 affecting all age categories and in particular children began in May 2023”, note Santé Publique France in its news of April 22. Since the start of 2024, five deaths have been recorded among young children. Health authorities emphasize “an unusually high number” compared to previous years: there were 1.8 deaths per year in the pre-pandemic period “mostly” in adults.
Since November 2023, Santé Publique France has implemented continuous monitoring. According to them, this epidemic “continues its rise in 2024 with a peak that has not yet been reached in March”. For the 2023-2024 season, the impact being “2 to 3 times higher than those of the last pre-pandemic season”. Other countries are facing a rise in cases, such as Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands and Norway.
Parvovirus B19 epidemic: how is the disease transmitted and what are the symptoms?
Parvovirus B19 is a virus “strictly human” which is transmitted through the respiratory tract. “Transmission appears to occur through respiratory droplets and percutaneous exposure to blood or blood products, with high rates of superinfection among those around us,” specifies the MSD Manual.
If a child is contaminated, clinical signs appear after an incubation of 4 to 21 days. According to the MSD Manual, the first symptoms are:
- fever,
- headaches,
- a rash on the arms, legs and trunk,
- red patches on the cheeks, hence the nickname “slapped cheek disease”.
Parvovirus B19: who are the people at risk?
This virus “is the cause of an infection that is most often asymptomatic”, specifies Santé Publique France, but it can cause infectious erythema or epidemic megalerythema, often called “fifth disease” because she usually causes a rash that gives a “slapped cheek” appearance on the young patient’s face. Indeed, like the four other viral infections: rubella, measles, chickenpox and roseola, it causes the appearance of a rash. She can “have serious consequences in certain populations”.
As explained by Santé Publique France, immunocompromised people and people with chronic anemia can develop serious forms. Moreover, for pregnant women, it increases the risk of miscarriages and fetal deaths. In its news, Santé Publique France specifies that “Spontaneous reports from emergency physicians indicate an increase in hospitalized cases in children with sickle cell disease (with a lack of red blood cells, Editor’s note)”
In its report, Santé Publique France estimates that this increase in cases may be linked to the lifting of health measures following the Covid-19 pandemic. Also, the authors recall the importance of not exposing people at risk, raising their awareness and, for pregnant women, consulting a specialized service in the event of a reduction in active fetal movements.
Sources:
- Epidemic of Parvovirus B19 infections in France. Update as of April 22, 2024 – Public Health France
- Erythema infectiosum (parvovirus B19 infection) – MSD Manual