Dr Keith Barnard, GP, on slapped cheek syndrome

Dr Keith Barnard, GP and medical journalist, on slapped cheek syndrome

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'This is a mild illness and usually does not need any special treatment, just paracetamol if the child feels unwell. It usually gets better in about five days.

However, if a pregnant woman gets infected, the virus can cause problems in the unborn child, and in about 10 per cent of cases the baby does not survive. So it is important that any child thought to have slapped cheek syndrome does not go near any woman in early pregnancy.'
Dr Keith Barnard, GP and medical journalist

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caroline, about 1 year

ive recently visited the doctor because i thought my daughter had slapped cheek syndrome it looks precisely like the picture with this article and a few children at my daughters school have also had it in the past few weeks. well needless to say the doctor thought i was talking drivvle and barely even looked at my daughter didnt even check her temperature and just said shes got a viral infection i told her that the redness was to her face only and that her body was not effected at all but she basically brushed me out the door . what i wanted to know is , is it difficult to diagnose this in mixed race children? as my daughter is half jamaican and half english and could the doctor have got it wrong? personally i think the only person that was talking drivvle was the doctor herself and ive arranged a second appointment with another doctor fingers crossed that this one will take a mothers worrys seriously .

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