There are certain skin rashes that are common and actually due to a virus. A common one that kids get is the chicken pox. I still have a mark on my cheek left when I played with it as a kid. If you have kids, try to warn them about scratching and give them an antihistamine to relieve the itching.

Chicken pox is part of growing up and it’s important because you can actually catch shingles from someone when you are older if you never had chicken pox. For most people it involves little red pimples on the face, back, legs, chest and arms. There can also be blisters with fluid inside. Usually your child will have a fever and other symptoms similar to being sick such as exhaustion and a sore throat. By giving your child an antihistamine, pain relievers and applying cool wash cloths, the symptoms should be relieved as he or she rides it out.

A second viral rash is shingles. This is actually a re-activation of the virus that was there when one contracted chicken pox. It remains in the nerves and due to stress, low immune issues or illness, shingles can arise. It can be quite itchy as well as painful. You can actually pass shingles to a child in the form of chicken pox so be aware of who you are around when you have shingles. Often it is just on one side of the body. There are blisters and they can open and crust as they heal.

A third rash which we don’t hear a lot about is called Fifth’s Disease. Kids get this and if your child has had a fever and a red rash on the cheeks, this can be Fifth disease rash. Some call it Firth disease, but this is actually a mis-spelling. If you are pregnant and are exposed to Fifth’s Disease the child shouldn’t have birth defects, but there can be a danger of anemia. Fifth’s disease is not the same as German Measles (rubella). Rubella may look like Fifth’s rash but having one won’t make you immune to the other. They are different.