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Sibylla Nash's avatar

Yay! So excited to see this submission opportunity. I tried to send something over, but the email bounced back. Do you have a different email to try?

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Jennifer Fox's avatar

First off, the Cleveland Clinic recently warned that the Parvovirus B 19 is on the upsurge this season. My advice to you is to avoid children this holiday season, especially if you are a woman over the age of 40. Do Not Mess Around With This Virus, it will ruin your life.

Back in 2008 I contracted Fifth's Disease aka Parvovirus B 19. If you get Fifths as a child you have a high fever and a rash that looks like someone slapped your face for about a week and then go on your merry little way, happy. But if you contract Fifth's as an adult, especially as an adult woman over the age of 40, all of your joints swell and hurt for months on end. The virus elicits an autoimmune response in the body, which tends to be more severe in women. I was sick for at least five months, laid out for three months. I could not drive a car or turn a round door knob. One afternoon I went to pick up my toothbrush and was met with a sharp, stabbing pain in my hand. I had to pay a gal to walk my dog for me.

Although there is a blood test to diagnose the Parvovirus B 19, there is no vaccine or treatment for the virus that I know of. All these years later, I have not regained strength in my hands and when I do get sick with a virus it tends to settle in my joints. Even the early covid vaccines left my shoulders and hips aching for at least a week. I never regained my health or fitness to my pre-Fifth's level.

My advice to all y'all is: take a pass on playing Santa Clause for children this year, avoid events with children as much as possible, and ask a lot of questions about your grandchildren's health before socializing with them.

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