Observation finds common childhood virus alters personality

The roseola virus came under attack today by a young mother claiming the virus altered her baby’s personality.

Eleven-month-old Maggie was diagnosed this afternoon with roseola after a phone consultation with the infant’s doctor’s office.

“She woke up Sunday morning with a fever of 103 degrees,” the mother, Helen, stated. “Tuesday morning the fever was only 100.5 but she was screaming like she was in pain so I called the doctor and got an appointment. I figured it was an ear infection and that we could get antibiotics and she would feel better. There were no visible signs of infection so they did two blood cultures on her little arms and put a catheter in to do a urinalysis. It was horrible to put her through all that when she was already so sick.”

The doctor initially diagnosed Maggie with a viral infection and recommended Tylenol for discomfort while her little body fought off the infection. Wednesday morning, Maggie’s face, chest, back, neck and bottom were covered with a rash.

“I knew that I had seen a picture of a rash similar to her’s on a poster in the doctor’s office, and I knew that it was not a heat rash. She was in so much pain, I couldn’t get her to stop screaming, so I called the doctor again,” Helen said. “I described the rash to the nurse and told her about the previous symptoms and she confidently diagnosed Maggie with roseola. Her symptoms were textbook.”

According to WebMD, “roseola (roseola infantum) is a mild illness caused by a virus. It is generally harmless and is most common in children 6 months to 2 years of age. Roseola often starts with a sudden high fever [103 F to 105 F] that lasts 2 to 3 days, although it can last up to 8 days.

“After the fever ends, a rosy-pink rash may appear over your child's entire body, starting on the torso and spreading to the face, neck, and arms… A child with roseola may appear fussy or irritable and may have a decreased appetite, but most children behave almost normally.”

Helen claims that her daughter does not “appear fussy or irritable,” but that her personality has been severely altered by the virus.

“She has not been the same little girl since she got sick,” she said, “My sweet, happy baby has screamed consistently for two days. There have been short moments of peace when she is distracted from her discomfort, but they are very short. The nurse said the rash will fade within three to four days and hopefully she will be her happy self again. I just want all of this to be over and to have my baby back.”

Embrace the conceit

Peer pressure and the non-blogger

A 28-year-old mother of three, Helen, started her first blog today. The blog is unique in its writing style and will be used as a creativity tool for the author.

“I have a passion for news writing,” Helen states, “I got my degree in journalism and I miss using my skills as a writer. This blog is an opportunity for me to practice writing and to receive valuable feedback from my viewers.”

“When I pitched the idea to my husband, Bob, he was very supportive,” Helen states, “He likes that I am writing again and that I am forcing myself to be creative. Viewers might even see an article of his on the blog.”

“I think it’s great that she has finally found an outlet for her writing,” Bob states, “I’m excited that she’s challenging herself to write the articles. I have been trying to get her to do freelance writing since she quit her job. But she doesn’t think she is a very good writer anymore. This blog will be very useful for her and will help her to regain all the skills she thinks she’s lost.”

Each blog entry will be written in a journalistic format which will require Helen to occasionally write in the third person.

“The style I write in will take some getting used to for most of my viewers, but I think that once they grasp the idea, they will find it refreshing,” says Helen.

Helen attributes peer pressure from friends as motivation to consider a blog. “I have several blogging friends that apparently have a vested interest in me starting a blog so they can keep up-to-date with my family,” she says, “But I didn’t want my blog to be a place for me to spill my innermost thoughts, I wanted it to be something that I could use for my benefit when I apply to graduate school or go back to work.”

“This blog represents part of who I am and how I view the world,” Helen states, “When I see something amazing or hear something funny I automatically think of a great headline to report the event. Now I can use those headlines and write articles for my viewers to enjoy.”

Helen graduated from a large state university in 2004 with her Bachelor of Science in Journalism. She has worked for the American Red Cross, the U.S.D.A. and the FPA. Currently, she stays home to care for her children.