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Roseola is a very common infection that mainly affects babies and toddlers. It usually causes a high temperature and a rash. You can normally look after your child at home and they should recover within a week.
If your child has roseola, at first they may have:
These symptoms last 3 to 5 days, before a rash appears.
The rash:
You can usually look after your child or baby at home with rest, fluids and painkillers. The infection should pass within a week.
let your child rest if they feel unwell
make sure they drink lots of fluids
give them children's paracetamol or children's ibuprofen if a high temperature makes them feel uncomfortable – check the dose on the bottle
keep your child at home while they have a high temperature –. this is when roseola is thought to be most contagious
do not cover them up in too many clothes or bedclothes
do not give aspirin to under-16s
do not combine ibuprofen and paracetamol, unless a GP tells you to
do not give paracetamol to a child under 2 months
do not give ibuprofen to a child under 3 months or under 5kg
do not give ibuprofen to children with asthma
Once the high temperature has passed, you do not need to keep your child away from nursery if they're feeling well enough to attend. There's no need to wait until the rash disappears.
Speak to a GP if you or your child has a weakened immune system and has had contact with someone with roseola. It can be serious.
