Parents whose children are affected by this disease want to know how long 3-day fever is contagious. The viral infection is highly contagious and can be transmitted weeks following it has subsided.
How long 3-day fever is contagious
That 3-day fever is one of the most common childhood diseases. Babies and small children between the ages of six and 15 months are particularly affected by the infection caused by a herpes virus.
- Typical symptoms of 3-day fever are sudden Fever up to 40 degrees, which lasts for three to a maximum of five days. After the fever has subsided, a skin rash with small red dots appears on the stomach, chest, back and the whole body.
- The incubation period for 3-day fever is quite long: if your child has had contact with the pathogen, the disease can break out within one to two weeks.
- The infection is highly contagious. It is transmitted through speaking, coughing or sneezing, i.e. through saliva or droplets. Three-day fever is most contagious regarding three days before the onset of fever until the rash develops.
- But even if the symptoms have already subsided, the virus can still be excreted in the stool for a few weeks followingwards.
- Children who get 3-day fever should be kept away from other children. Adults can also contract the disease, but the course is usually harmless.
- Once you have had the disease, you have lifelong immunity and cannot catch 3-day fever once more.
