Taiwan CDC warns pregnant women over fifth disease outbreak in Japan

Taipei, Dec. 10 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on Tuesday urged pregnant women and children to avoid traveling to areas in eastern Japan that have recently been affected by an outbreak of fifth disease.

Fifth disease, also known as slapped cheek disease, has spread rapidly in recent weeks in Tokyo, as well as Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures, with some localities reporting their highest case levels in 25 years, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

Speaking to CNA Tuesday, CDC Deputy Director-General Tseng Shu-huai (曾淑慧) said fifth disease is caused by a virus called parvovirus B19 and is easily spread through coughing or sneezing.

The disease most commonly affects children, who often first show cold-like symptoms such as respiratory difficulties, fever or runny nose. Patients later develop the disease's signature red, itchy rash on their face, and occasionally also on their limbs or torso, Tseng said.

Tseng said the general public can take simple precautions to reduce the risk of infection, such as washing their hands frequently or wearing a mask.

Higher-risk groups, such as children and pregnant women, are advised to avoid traveling to areas affected by the outbreak, she said.

According to the Mayo Clinic, in rare cases, fifth disease infection during pregnancy can cause severe anemia in the fetus, leading to a heightened risk of miscarriage or stillbirth. For other groups, infections are mostly mild and require little or no treatment.

Fifth disease is not classified as a notifiable disease in Taiwan, and as such, hospitals and clinics are not required to report cases to the government, according to Tseng.

Taiwan has only seen isolated cases of the disease to date, but will continue monitoring the status of the outbreak in Japan, Tseng added.

Fifth disease got its name from being fifth on a list of viral skin rashes known to affect children, which also includes measles, scarlet fever, rubella, Dukes' disease and roseola.