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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffLike most viruses, roseola just needs to run its course. Once the fever subsides, your child should feel better soon. However, a fever can make your child uncomfortable. To treat your child's fever at home, your doctor may recommend:
- Plenty of rest. Let your child rest in bed until the fever disappears.
- Plenty of fluids. Encourage your child to drink clear fluids, such as water, ginger ale, lemon-lime soda, clear broth or an electrolyte solution (such as Pedialyte) or sports drinks (such as Gatorade and Powerade) to prevent dehydration. Remove the gas bubbles from carbonated fluids. You can do this by letting the carbonated beverage stand or by shaking, pouring or stirring the beverage. Removing the carbonation will mean having your child avoid the added discomfort of excess burping or intestinal gas that carbonated beverages may cause.
- Sponge baths. A lukewarm sponge bath or a cool washcloth applied to your child's head can soothe the discomfort of a fever. However, avoid using ice, cold water, fans or cold baths. These may give the child unwanted chills.
There's no specific treatment for the rash of roseola, which fades on its own in a short time.
- Leach CT. Roseola (human herpesviruses 6 and 7). In: Kliegman RM, et al. Kliegman: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178982054-11/941383690/1608/665.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50255-3_5489. Accessed Jan. 21, 2010.
- Roseola infantum (human herpesvirus 6 and 7 infection). In: Habif TP. Habif: Clinical Dermatology. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-7234-3541-9..00023-7--s0290&uniq=178982054&isbn=978-0-7234-3541-9&sid=941383690. Accessed Jan. 21, 2010.
- Fort GG, et al. Roseola. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178982054-11/941383690/2088/578.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00027-7--sc0135_11835. Accessed Jan. 21, 2010.
- Hall CB. Human herpesviruses 6 and 7 (roseola, exanthem subitum). In: Long SS, et al., eds. Long: Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178982054-11/941383690/1679/212.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06687-0..50211-3_3868. Accessed Jan. 21, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Jan. 26, 2010.
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