What is roseola?
Roseola, or sixth disease, is a common viral infection that usually affects small children, with children typically experiencing it around age 2. However, roseola can affect people of any age, including adults [1, 2].
Roseola starts with a high fever lasting usually between 3 to 5 days, which is followed by an exanthematous rash. The rash is characterised by pink patches or spots [1, 2, 3], which are usually soft, not itchy or painful, and begins on the abdomen and then spreads to face, arms and legs [4].
Causes of roseola
Roseola is often caused by exposure to the human herpesvirus (HHV) type 6 or 7 [1, 2, 5]. Respiratory secretions such as saliva is the most common mode of transmission, involving direct exposure by sharing an infected person’s cup, or from airborne exposures such as when a person with roseola coughs or sneezes [2]. Occurrence of symptoms may be as long as 9 to 10 days after exposure to an infected person, and it can be seasonal, specific to spring and fall peak periods [1].
Risk factors of roseola
Roseola is an illness caused by a childhood virus; it commonly affects babies and young children who are between 6 months and 15 months of age.
It is caused by one of two viruses, most commonly human herpes virus 6; less commonly, human herpes virus 7. You can catch it by contact with an already infected kid’s saliva (a glass, for example); it can also spread via the air, when somebody with roseola coughs or sneezes [2].
In immunocompromised individuals, however, roseola is more of a threat. Those who have recently had a bone marrow transplant and those with everyone else can develop more severe roseola infections and sometimes more life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia or encephalitis [2].
While they can occur at any time of year, the most regular peaks are in spring and fall [1].
Beyond the fact that there is no vaccine for roseola and it’s easily transmissible, like most colds, it can run the gamut from appearing identical to a week-long head cold to something that looks like a fever to flushed cheeks and no apparent symptoms [1].
What is measles rash?
Measles rash is a symptom of measles, an infectious disease caused by a virus. The rash is typically characterized by blotchy red spots that often start on the head and move down the body [6]. The rash generally starts off as a red, blotchy rash on the face. Over the course of a few days, it can spread to the torso and then the rest of the body. The rash typically consists of flat pink or red spots that appear 3 to 5 days after infection. On darker skin, it can be flesh-colored to slightly purplish-gray, with flat to slightly raised bumps [7].
What are the causes of measles rash?
The rash that follows comes from the measles virus in your blood. The virus makes its way through your system, and your immune system spots it and tries to destroy it. The measles rash appears when immune cells pour out chemicals in order to kill the invading virus. Those same chemicals set off skin inflammation [7].
The measles virus has the respiratory mode of transmission; the rash typically appears 3-4 days after the fever onset, first on the face and behind the ears, and this is also usually the day when the disease is at its worst [8].
Risk factors of measles rash
Measles rash can be influenced by several risk factors.
Far and away, the most critical risk factor is not being vaccinated. If you haven’t had the vaccine, you’ll likely get measles. [9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15].
Travelling abroad, particularly to countries where measles is more prevalent, can also raise your risk of getting the virus [15].
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Hospital exposure and belonging to a floating population (people who move around a lot) are other risk factors [9, 16, 17].
Children’s age is also a factor, as children less than 15 and those older than 15 are more likely to get measles [9, 10, 11, 12].
Lack of knowledge of measles immunisation, lack of confidence in immunisation, fear of side effects, and service place being too far away are variables associated with lack of immunisation, enhancing the risk of measles [13].
An additional risk factor is contact with a patient who has measles and travels to areas with a recent outbreak of the virus [12].
Similarities and Differences Between Roseola and Measles Rash
Although roseola and measles are both viral infections in which the rash is an early symptom, their presentations and pathways are completely distinctive.
Roseola or sixth disease is a mild childhood infection typically striking by age 2. The abrupt appearance of high fever can last for three to five days, marked by a pink or ‘rosy’ rash. Appearing first on the abdomen, the rash of roseola spreads to the face, arms, and legs – though it is rarely itchy and is a sign the virus is entering a final decline. Those infected are no longer contagious at this point [1, 2, 18, 19, 3].
Conversely, measles (rubeola) presents as a splotchy reddish rash from head to foot. The measles rash is red or reddish-brown and usually begins first on the face, then progresses downward so that, within a few days, all of a child's body and limbs are covered with red, rough, bumpy blotches.
A measles-infected child might continue to have headaches or fever throughout the entire rash period. Unlike roseola, measles has a vaccine usually given in two doses: infancy and early childhood. According to CDC estimates, both doses are 97% effective in preventing measles [1, 20, 21, 22, 18, 6].
Overall, the rash that is visible in both roseola and measles shows differences in its appearance as well as in the location, the type of skin it affects, and the progression of the disorder. Furthermore, there is a vaccination against measles but not against roseola.