The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a health alert about the recent increase in human parvovirus B19 activity in the United States following a surge in the highly contagious respiratory infection, particularly among children.
Parvovirus B19 is a respiratory illness transmitted through respiratory droplets of infected individuals, even if they are without symptoms. It can also be transmitted during pregnancy from the mother to the fetus or through blood transfusion. The virus typically affects young children, but can also infect adults. An individual who is once exposed to parvovirus builds antibodies against it. The infection is known as the "fifth disease" as it was the fifth of the common childhood illnesses identified.
