Roseola is a common illness in children between the ages of 4 months and 2 years. It is caused by a virus, herpes virus 6, which is related to but different from other herpes viruses. Roseola begins with a high fever (103° - 104°) for 3-5 days.After the temperature drops to normal the child develops a rash that consists of small pink spots, mostly over the neck, chest and body. The rash is usually very faint but can get heavy; it can last a few days.
The most important way to make your child feel better is keeping the fever down. Please see the fever section of this book for advice about lowering fever.
Please call the office if your child has excessive sleepiness or irritability, persistent vomiting, diarrhea, cough, pain with urination, if the fever lasts for more than 5 days or a sore throat is associated with a rash.