Fifth Disease (Slapped Cheek) Fifth disease is a mild rash illness caused by parvovirus B19. It is more common in children than adults. A person usually gets sick with fifth disease within 14 days after getting infected with parvovirus B19. The symptoms of fifth disease are usually mild and may include
fever
runny nose
headache
rash (on face and body)
Parvovirus B19—which causes fifth disease—spreads through respiratory secretions, such as saliva, sputum, or nasal mucus, when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You are most contagious when it seems like you have “just a fever and/or cold” and before you get the rash or joint pain and swelling. After you get the rash you are not likely to be contagious. Fifth disease is usually mild and will go away on its own. Children and adults who are otherwise healthy usually recover completely. “A child who has been diagnosed with fifth disease need not be excluded from child care.”