FIFTH DISEASE Definition & Meaning

fifth disease

[fifth di-zeez]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Pathology.��a mild infection, most often seen in children or young adults, caused by a small virus (the human parvovirus B19) and marked by a blotchy rash on the cheeks, arms, and legs.

fifth disease

noun

Technical name: erythema infectiosum.��Also called: slapped-cheek disease.��a mild infectious disease of childhood, caused by a virus, characterized by fever and a red rash spreading from the cheeks to the limbs and trunk

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of fifth disease¹

So called because it was the fifth in a classification scheme of childhood eruptive diseases

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of fifth disease¹

C20: from its being among the five most common childhood infections

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Unfortunately, measures to effectively control fifth disease have not been developed, Lowery says, but as with most diseases, “good hand-washing may be a practical and effective method to reduce the spread of the virus in schools or daycare centers where there are known cases.”

From

Fifth disease got its name from a historical classification system that placed it fifth in a list of common childhood rashes.

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Unfortunately, if a child develops fifth disease, treatment options are limited.

From

Saunders has��hit��.276 with six home runs and 28 RBIs��in 65 games this season, the last of which came against Minnesota on July 10 before he was sidelined first with a strained oblique and later by a bout with “Fifth Disease.”

From

Dr. Enright decided that it was erythema infectiosum, literally, "infectious blushing," also called fifth disease.*

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