Welcome to the UK!

Oh, the phobias! I have few.... not bad ones, but the kind that get me just enough to create a little bit of anxiety in my life. (like I don't have enough)
One of those phobias is fear of my kids catching international illnesses. (can you blame me for that one?)
So the other day I have heard our neighbor talking about "slapped cheek decease" What the heck is that? I said. Oh, it is common illness all the kids get it here around springtime. Sweet! I immediately wanted to have my kids stay at home. But they can't. (If your child isn't seek and at home they may send county rep and charge you 100 pounds (about $170) for absence in school. Joy!)

Few days later, Drew comes home with unusually red cheeks. Fiver? Nope, not hot. Were you running? No, he didn't. Hmmmm? The redness staid for 2 days and then it was gone. He had no other symptoms, so I didn't think much about that, anymore. Except a few days later Brooklyn came home with shiny slapped looking cheeks. Honey, did some one hit you? Were you scratching your self? Were you running all day? No, no and nope.
So I got really curious and went to the play ground to talk to some moms at kid's school.
"Did she have a cold a few weeks ago?" asked one mom.
Now that I'm thinking about it, yes, she did.
"Yep", she has slapped cheek.
"What is it?" I asked, "I have never heard of it"
"Oh, really? Well, welcome to the UK! it is very common here.
SWEET! MY KIDS GOT INTERNATIONAL ILLNESS! AAAHHH!

Slapped cheek syndrome is a common childhood viral infection. However, it can affect people of all ages. The most common symptom of slapped cheek syndrome is the appearance of a bright red rash on both cheeks (hence the name). Slapped cheek syndrome is cause by a virus called parvovirus B19.

Slapped cheek syndrome is also sometimes known as:

• fifth disease, and
• erythema infectiosum

Slapped cheek syndrome usually affects children who are between 3-15 years of age. Most cases develop during the late winter months or early spring.

The symptoms are similar to a cold or a flew and you don't even know that you have it till about 2 weeks later when the rash appears. At that moment , there is nothing you can or need to do. Rash is illnesses final symptom. And once you have it you are not infectious.
Adults rarely get it, but if they do it often really bad and it could be fatal for pregnant women or people with weak immune system.

Well, Welcome to the UK indeed!