What I'm looking for is a simple phrase in plain english for your average reader that mentions/implies skin. How about:
an eruptive viral skin infection (which I'm leaning towards)
Hello. I am not sure what you mean by "simple". An "eruptive viral skin infection" does not seem that simple to me, but then again, I am not sure what you mean by average reader. An average reader of what? A newspaper? A book? A journal?
Where does the "viral" come from (if you only want "something simple" implying skin)? Why not
creeping eruption (caused by
hookworms -larvae- by the way) or any other
bacterial skin infection?
A rash (btw) does not an infection constitute. Be it an erythema or an exanthema (inflammatory response, yes, but invasion by pathogens, different story. For example (see)
contact dermatitis.
My point is, better to give the sentence in Greek.
You see, "skin plague" does not really say anything to me, certainly not in relation to "εξανθηματική νόσος" (even in hist. context) and we can go on and on, debating terminology -
for example:
blistering diseases
http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&rls=GEUA%2CGEUA%3A2005-51%2CGEUA%3Aen&q=%22blistering+diseases&meta=http://www.hkmj.org.hk/skin/blisteri.htm(φλυκταινίτσες all around) - in a somewhat pointless manner.