Parvovirus B19 Increasing In Activity, CDC Says

CNN (8/13, Dillinger) reports, “A seasonal respiratory virus named parvovirus B19 – sometimes also called fifth disease – is increasing in activity, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Tuesday.” As with “other respiratory illnesses, efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 during the pandemic dramatically lowered parvovirus B19 infections, with a corresponding loss of immunity.” The CDC warned “that it has received reports of higher test positivity rates recently, as well as clusters of complications among people at high risk of severe illness.” The percentage “of people with antibodies indicating recent infection, which fell below 3% during 2022-24, reached 10% in June, with the highest increase among children ages 5 to 9.”