Three day fever (roseola infantum, exanthema subitum)

The three day fever is a very infectious virus illness which, however, largely harmlessly goes. The typical disease features are the high fever (40 º) suddenly appearing which continuously stops three to four days until an exanthema which starts out from the trunk appears. Fever spasms can appear as a complication. Children are affected mainly by the infection at the age between 6 and 36 months.

The illness is common worldwide and already has your age peak in the infant and infancy, children who are older than three years fall ill rarely. Most adults have antibodies against the virus.

The pathogene of the three day fever is the human herpes virus 6 of (HHV 6) from the genus Roseolovirus. It is part of the group of the herpes viruses. The prolonged gestation is made droplet infection therefore sneezing, speaking, cough. An infection with the causative agent come through leaves a lifelong immunity. Many children go through the infection silently, this means without recognizable symptoms. Sie of course also contribute to the spreading of the virus. You can assume that almost all children have gone through this infectious disease until end of their third year of life.

The incubation period, that is the time between the infection and the first disease symptoms is 3 to 15 days.

The clinical picture appears as follows:

The illness starts with a high fever (40 º C) suddenly starting. It lasts for three to four days. The general condition is usually impaired little. The children are astonishingly fit for the high fever. Light cold symptoms (for example inflamed pharynx or swollen lymph nodes at the neck) can there be. The fontanelle is frequently tense or pre-warped at infants. The typical pale red eruption (rubeoliformes exanthema) which starts out characteristically from the trunk and spreads across the whole body fells the temperature suddenly after the three days and appears it. Only the face remains from saved. The eruption disappears without further side effects after 1 to 3 days again. The three day fever is come after a week.

The three day fever is classified as a harmless illness, however, call your physician immediately if your child has a fever spasm.

Your physician will proceed as follows:

  • Your physician can only then make the exact diagnosis if the typical skin exanthema appears after the defervescence. The illness then can considerably be distinguished by a veins or rubellas infection. Before the appearance of the eruption therefore in the fever phase your physician will exclude a bladders or pyelitis perhaps by a urine test (a high continuous fever is a characteristic disease symptom also here). Hinweisgebend sind auch Blutbildveränderungen mit Verschiebungen im weißen Blutbild.
  • Since the disease is treated symptomatically, he will order you antipyretic agentses. If your child tends to fever spasms, then he is an antispasmodic medicine prescribed for you, so-called diazepam-rectinolen. (also see in the chapter fever, first aid at a fever spasm, to this).

The following measures should seize you yourself:

  • Give to drink you for your child much, because it also loses increased fluid through the fever about the skin and salts.
  • Lower the fever with compresses around the leg or fever suppository. In any case fever suppositories are necessary at a known inclination towards fever spasms.
  • Stay with your child having a temperature highly in every case at home until the eruption appears and so that the diagnosis is protected.
  • If your child feels fit despite the high fever, then it absolutely can get up.
There isn't any vaccine to the prophylaxis. The virus is very infectious. The visit of other children or persons should be avoided.


These informations may be considered a substitute for a piece of medical advice in no case. The content of health-illness.com doesn't can and may be put into any case to make diagnoses or carry out self medical treatment independently.


Diese Informationen dürfen auf keinen Fall als Ersatz für ärztliche Beratung angesehen werden. Der Inhalt von medhost.de kann und darf auf keinen Fall verwendet werden, um eigenständig Diagnosen zu stellen oder Selbstbehandlung durchzuführen.

Medhost ¦ Startseite - Newsletter - Impressum - Disclaimer - Kontakt - Sprache ¦ Deutsch - English
1999 - 2007 Copyright Promeus AG, Alle Rechte vorbehalten