The first signs of chickenpox in a child can be difficult to determine if the disease begins sluggish and resembles other skin pathologies. That is why it is important not to miss the onset of chickenpox, to correctly evaluate the emerging vesicles and be sure to consult a doctor for the treatment of the disease.
Chickenpox is provoked. It belongs to the third type of herpesvirus and, upon the initial penetration of the child's body, it provokes chickenpox. In most cases, the baby’s body gets acquainted with the virus at the age of three to six years - this is the age at which the peak of chickenpox occurs, but a rash can also occur in infants of the first year of life. With the secondary activation of the virus, the disease in the child proceeds in the form of herpes zoster.
The causative agent has its own DNA inside the nucleocapsid. The virus is quite large in size in comparison with other pathogens. On top of the virus has a fatty membrane that protects it from the external environment. This makes the virus more resistant and capable of active reproduction. Once in the child’s body, the virus emigrates to the spinal cord, where it lies in the nerve endings.
Bubbles filled with liquid spread, rapidly - herpesvirus is released from a sick person into the environment and can be obtained with a stream of air at close contact, when touching the skin, from common objects. The accumulation of the virus is in a clear fluid in the vesicles of a sick child. That is why the first symptoms of chickenpox in children appear at kindergarten age - the kids communicate closely in a team and still do not have sustainable hygiene skills.
How chickenpox begins - symptoms and forms
Incubation and prodromal periods
Incubation period up to three weeks. At this time, the virus is in a state of immunity control, the manifestation of Varicella-Zoster will not be long in coming, but in children with weak immunity, the first symptoms appear much faster, almost in the first seven days after infection. In children with stronger body defenses, the incubation period can last almost three weeks, and only after that the disease passes into the prodromal stage. In the incubation period, the virus does not manifest itself in any way, and parents do not even know that the baby is infected with the herpes virus.
Prodromal period starts at the moment when the virus goes into the active stage. The duration of this period is diverse, as are its characteristics. In some children, it leaks so imperceptibly and easily that only vesicles that appear on the skin speak about the disease, but this is already the beginning of the next period. With the active course of the prodromal period in children, signs appear that are easily confused with the manifestations of the common cold:
- children become lethargic, a headache appears, because of which the kids are capricious and sleep poorly;
- in babies, you can notice an increase in lymph nodes, which indicates a defeat by their Varicella-Zoster virus;
- the child is tormented by a sore throat, and he begins to cough, refuses to eat;
- joint aches and muscle pain appear;
- rises, but the indicator is rarely exceeded subfebrile.
The peculiarity of the prodromal period is that it does not clearly indicate the presence of chickenpox in the child. Usually this period lasts about three days, after which vesicles appear on the body - the first symptoms of chickenpox, according to which you can almost unmistakably make a diagnosis.
Why is it important to recognize chickenpox at the very beginning
The definition of chickenpox at the initial stage usually does not matter for the patient himself, but the team in which the child communicates should be notified of the disease from the first days, since from that day the institution is quarantined. Usually the local pediatrician informs about this, who comes to the house, examines the baby, recognizes chickenpox and makes the diagnosis of chicken pox. Since the incubation period lasts up to three weeks, it is for this period that the institution is closed - a kindergarten group or school class.
In this case, children who were able to get the virus from a sick child will stay at home, isolated from other children, and if they become a victim of the virus, it will appear during quarantine. If this did not happen, then the children return to the collective after the appropriate time and continue to stay.
How does chickenpox begin
The first sign of chickenpox in a child can be difficult to recognize depending on the form of the disease and where the chicken pox starts from.
First symptoms
The first symptoms of chickenpox are so diverse that the disease is easily confused with other diseases. Usually, the course of chickenpox is accompanied by an increase in temperature and the corresponding signs of intoxication. At this moment, parents usually suspect a cold and are in a hurry to give the baby appropriate medications that are useless with chickenpox. And already when an extensive rash begins on the body over the entire surface, then it becomes clear that chickenpox became the cause of the malaise in the baby
In other children, on the contrary, the temperature does not increase at all or rises slightly. And in the first place are signs of chickenpox - small light vesicles filled with transparent contents.
Where does chickenpox start
It is difficult to talk about the specific location of the rash, since the first acne with chickenpox can appear anywhere - both on the legs and on the stomach. Usually, doctors note that at first signs appear on the body - on the chest, in the abdomen or on the back, on the neck.
In the future, chickenpox very quickly passes to the face - literally a few hours later I sprinkle its signs throughout the body, affecting not only the trunk, but also the upper and lower limbs. It is also not found on the soles, although bubbles can appear on the outside of the hand and feet - this condition accompanies a severe stage of the disease.
What does the rash look like at the initial stage
The first symptoms of chickenpox in children are manifested by small red spots on the surface of the skin. They itch and look more like mosquito bites - exactly the same hyperemic tubercles as with an insect bite. The situation changes literally in a few hours, when a small swelling turns into bubbles with fluid inside and a rash begins throughout the body.
Vesicles at an early stage are usually light pink, and even white, they are slightly elevated above the surface of the skin, the cover near the vesicles becomes edematous. In size, they do not exceed more than 0.5 cm in diameter and appear limited from each other, without merging with neighboring rashes.
With the active appearance of the rash, the temperature may rise - such chickenpox proceeds according to the wave type - vesicles either actively appear against the background of temperature, then disappear. Typically, this process can be observed in the first week after the appearance of the first acne.
Doctors recommend marking them with green - this does not have any medical purpose, since the green does not kill herpesvirus, but it helps to note the presence of new vesicles - at this moment the child is dangerous to others. With the same success, vesicles and fucorcin can be noted. When the appearance of the vesicles ends, that is, there is nothing to mark, we can talk about the transition of the disease to the next stage.
How does chickenpox begin in different forms
Chicken pox occurs in various stages and can occur in a mild or severe stage. The initial stage of chickenpox is characterized by various signs, so it is necessary to know the criteria for the course of a particular stage.
Mild chickenpox
Most children who have good immunity are sick. Such chickenpox is predominantly found in children up to 10-12 years old, in whom chickenpox proceeds easily. That is why there is an opinion that children need to transfer chickenpox as early as possible and some parents specifically encourage contacts of their healthy children with infectious patients.
A mild form of the disease is distinguished by erased signs, since immunity is included in the confrontation with the disease. The disease differs in the following signs:
- Headache - usually goes very easily, and many children do not complain about it, but only look a little tired, distracted.
- Fever - in children with strong immunity, body temperature may not increase at all, so chickenpox proceeds against the background of general well-being. The child is also active, sleeps well and eats, and only the vesicles on the body remind of the beginning of chickenpox. Children with weak immunity suffer from fever, but it is insignificant and does not cross the threshold of 37.2–37.5 degrees.
- First rashes on the body - manifestations of chickenpox with a mild form can simply not be noticed, skipped if only a small number of bubbles appear on the child’s body. The rash is not characterized by the magnitude of the lesion, and the vesicles themselves do not itch, and do not itch.
The peculiarity of the mild course of chickenpox is that the virus may not provoke the formation of persistent immunity. In this case, the risk of recurrence of chickenpox remains.
In severe course
Severe signs of chickenpox are observed in children who have weakened immunity. Typically, severe chickenpox is diagnosed in children from the age of six months, when maternal immunity is weakened, as well as in adolescents with weak defenses. Children are most susceptible to the severe course of chickenpox during puberty at 12-14 years.
In severe cases of the disease, chickenpox is characterized by the following symptoms:
- an increase in body temperature to high rates (usually 38 degrees are recorded, but there can also be jumps up to forty);
- the child becomes lethargic or vice versa - capricious and restless, irritable;
- appetite suffers, children refuse to eat;
- the rash from chickenpox is actively spreading throughout the body, the number of vesicles is large, although they do not merge into one, they can appear in whole colonies in certain places, affecting even the mucous membranes;
- chickenpox is accompanied by severe itching and rash;
- vesicles appear longer than usual - when marking them with brilliant green parents can notice new acne up to two weeks;
- a painful, prolonged transition from the initial stage to the final stage occurs.
With severe chickenpox, children require special observation. Infants are observed in the hospital, since in addition to the characteristic rashes, chickenpox threatens with the appearance of complications and severe intoxication. Among the complications of chickenpox can be observed:
- the attachment of a bacterial infection (if the child combs the vesicles and brings the infection there with dirty hands);
- suppression of immunity, against the background of which chronic, congenital pathologies may worsen, or gingivitis, myocarditis, etc. may occur;
- the transition of chickenpox into a hemorrhagic form - chickenpox with bleeding from the vesicles, which can occur not only external but also internal bleeding;
- the transition of the disease to the stage of gangrenous smallpox, when the vesicles heal for a long time and acquire signs of necrosis;
- the appearance of chickenpox encephalitis;
- scars and scars from long-term non-healing vesicles.
Chickenpox - how it starts, symptoms and treatment (Dr. Komarovsky)
Can chickenpox pass without symptoms
In some cases, parents learn about chickenpox only when the child develops herpes zoster. This is a disease that is caused by the same type of herpes virus of the third type, but already secondarily, i.e. after the chickenpox. It is quite natural for parents to ask a question - how did herpes zoster occur if there was not a single characteristic sign of chickenpox in children?
In fact, chickenpox in some cases can be asymptomatic or with such erased signs that they simply cannot be identified. Such a course of chickenpox is observed if the body is struck by a small number of pathogens. And the child’s immunity is so strong that the skin manifestations were minimal and went unnoticed.
Chickenpox is a typical childhood disease. Signs of chickenpox in children usually begin with a rash on the body, which is accompanied by a temperature. The pediatrician can easily distinguish chickenpox from other diseases and prescribe the appropriate treatment.
Very many people have known the concept of chickenpox since childhood. Temperature, itching and an unpleasant rash are sensations that you can hardly forget. In order to take action in time, every mom should know how chickenpox begins.
Chickenpox virus
Chickenpox is an acute virus that is accompanied by a blistering rash on the mucous membrane and skin. The causative agent of chickenpox is shingles. The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. The incubation period of chickenpox is twenty-one days, and the disease itself lasts an average of seven to ten days.
After a person is ill with chickenpox once, he develops immunity for life. Very rarely, a recurrent disease occurs in people with poor health, HIV-infected people, and sometimes after organ transplants.
Chicken pox is a childhood illness. They get the virus at preschool or school age (75% of cases). Chickenpox vaccination helps to avoid the disease and acute forms of its manifestation.
Forms of the disease
Chickenpox, once in the human body, can occur in several forms. There are classic chickenpox (fever, rash, itching, weakness) and atypical (symptoms are unpredictable). The first proceeds in a mild, moderate and severe form.
The mild form is the most fleeting and less painful. It is characterized by low temperature. The rash lasts only three days, after which wound healing begins.
With an average form, the temperature already reaches 38-39 degrees, and the rash appears within five days.
The worst is severe form. The temperature can reach 40 degrees, there is intoxication of the body, the rash lasts more than 5-7 days.
With atypical forms of chickenpox, various inflammatory processes, including pathologies, can develop in the body.
How chickenpox begins, every adult should know. Knowing the symptoms of the disease, serious consequences can be avoided.
How chickenpox begins: symptoms
Often the initial stage of chickenpox is confused with other infectious diseases. There is a slight (or, conversely, significant) increase in temperature, fever, weakness and headaches. The virus may also not appear at all. However, during the incubation period, he will have time to hit a significant number of tissues and organs.
After the appearance of the first rashes, the symptoms of the disease disappear, but a terrible itching appears. If we talk about where chickenpox starts from, then there can be several places of localization - this is the stomach, back, arms, legs, neck, face. Spots of chickenpox at first look like mosquito bites. Over time (just a few hours) they will already resemble small blisters filled with a clear liquid. Foci of rashes are from several tens to a couple of hundred.
How to treat?
The most unpleasant symptom of chickenpox is itching, which can be relieved by special baths with the addition of soda or decoctions of medicinal plants (sage, chamomile, oak bark). Apply special lotions for burns and blisters. If the patient's condition is completely unbearable, then antihistamines are already prescribed.
Antipyretic and immunostimulating agents are also used during infection. The patient is forbidden to be in the sun, as ultraviolet light can aggravate the disease.
Over the entire period of rashes, the patient should try not to comb acne - scars may remain forever, or, even worse, an infection will occur.
Chicken pox in adults
The probability of contracting chickenpox in adulthood is 10-15%. Most of them have known chickenpox since childhood. How does this disease begin in adults, everyone should know, because sometimes the virus recurs even if there is immunity to it.
If in childhood chickenpox occurs in a mild form, then, having struck an adult organism, it manifests itself “in all its glory”. In addition to fever, headaches and ailments, there is intoxication of the body. The temperature reaches 40 degrees, the rash lasts 10 or more days, and the blisters are much larger than in children. Chickenpox in adults often develops into various complications:
- Tracheitis, pneumonia, laryngitis and other respiratory diseases.
- The liver (hepatitis), the kidneys (jade) are affected.
- There are diseases of the nervous system, bones.
- There are diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Medicine even knows cases where chickenpox ended in death.
They treat chickenpox in adults in exactly the same way as in children. In severe cases, an antibiotic may be additionally prescribed.
Chickenpox in pregnant women
It is very dangerous to get chickenpox during pregnancy. In the early stages, the virus can provoke a miscarriage, in the later stages - the birth of a dead child or congenital pathologies of the hearing, vision, nervous system, respiratory tract and others. However, there are times when chickenpox does not affect the unborn child.
Women who are in an “interesting position” for the first time become infected with the virus are interested in the question of where chickenpox begins and how to recognize the infection. Indeed, for pregnant women, fever, weakness and fatigue are a common condition. Just like in children, chickenpox begins in them with a rash of blisters on the stomach, back, face, hands. An unpleasant itch appears along with the rash.
Treatment of chickenpox in pregnant women has its own specifics, because the consequences can adversely affect the health of mothers and children. For a successful outcome of the disease, you need to detect it as soon as possible. It should be remembered that chickenpox begins with a temperature (sometimes very high). At the first symptoms, you should consult a doctor who will pick up the medicine. If only two to three days have passed after infection, the specialist will prescribe a vaccine (immunoglobulin), which immediately begins to fight the infection. The result from it is almost one hundred percent.
Shingles (repeated chickenpox). Where does it start and how?
Getting chickenpox a second time is almost impossible. If a person has already had chickenpox, he develops lifelong immunity.
In rare cases, when the body is weakened or stressed, the infection can attack again. Repeatedly, the disease can also occur in children who were infected in the womb or had chickenpox in their infants.
In adults, the infection manifests itself a second time as shingles. Re-chickenpox can get:
- People in old age (50-60 years).
- With impaired cell immunity.
- After tumors, diabetes, hepatitis, tuberculosis, heart failure.
- After neurological diseases.
To avoid severe forms of shingles, everyone should know how chickenpox starts a second time:
- There is an increase in body temperature to 38-40 degrees, which is accompanied by chills and headache.
- Blisters appear stained.
- Affected areas are characterized by burning and itching.
Herpes zoster, like chickenpox, is treated with antiviral, antipyretic and immunostimulating drugs. Wounds are treated with special antiseptics. In rare cases, an antibiotic is prescribed.
Be healthy!
Chicken pox is a childhood disease that, in rare cases, can affect an adult body. The peculiarity of the disease is that children tolerate it much more easily and are less prone to complications. For adults, the infection can end not only in a severe form, but also in a fatal outcome. Therefore, everyone should know what chickenpox is, how this disease begins in adults and in children, and how to treat it. Timely intervention will help to avoid complications.
Chickenpox is an infectious disease characterized by the appearance of watery vesicles. It provokes herpes virus. The disease is contagious, transmitted by airborne droplets.
Most people have chickenpox from 3 to 12 years old. At an older age, chickenpox is very difficult to carry: body temperature in the acute period of the disease is 39 degrees or higher, the risk of complications is high. For this reason, many parents deliberately take their children to the company of chickenpox cases to protect the child from possible complications at an older age.
As a rule, infection occurs only within 2 days before the appearance of vesicles, as well as within the first 5 days from the beginning of the rash. On average, a child’s chickenpox quarantine lasts about 20 days.
Why is it important not to miss the onset of the disease?
Stages of Rash Development If you are sure that your child has had contact with a chickenpox patient, be on the lookout for it, as infection of the child is inevitable. The incubation period is from 11 to 25 days.
Most often, it takes about two weeks before the onset of the first signs of the disease.
In this period of time there are no changes in well-being, no symptoms. If possible, protect your child from visiting public places. If a child is under the age of one in the house, contact with the sick should be avoided if possible.
Children under one year old suffer the disease severely, serious complications may develop, in which vital organs suffer. For this reason, it is very important to know the first signs of chickenpox in a child.
As soon as the symptoms of chickenpox are felt, provide the patient with separate dishes, as well as bedding and personal hygiene products. Many doctors believe that there is no need to isolate the patient from other children. Children at a younger age tolerate the disease much easier.
The ideal time for chickenpox is considered to be an age of 3 to 6 years. Fortunately, after suffering chickenpox, the risk of re-development of the disease is excluded, since the body develops a stable immunity to this infection.
The first signs of chickenpox in children
The first symptoms of the disease are often confused with the usual acute respiratory disease, and the appearance of spots and vesicles with an allergic reaction (urticaria).
Visual change in chickenpox rash To recognize chickenpox on time, each parent must know how the rash begins, as well as the characteristic features of the disease:
| The period of the disease | Characteristic |
| First day | The child complains of general malaise: weakness, drowsiness, aching joints. The child refuses food and is constantly acting up. No other signs are observed. |
| The rash appears on average 2 days after the onset of the disease | When a rash appears, parents wonder where the chickenpox begins. In fact, the course of the disease is individual.
In the photo below, you can see various localizations of the rash:
|
| A day later | Rashes spread throughout the body, spots become like a drop of water. Usually during this period, the child is concerned about high body temperature and severe itching. |
| Next few days | For several days, the bubbles continue to spread throughout the body. After 3-4 days, the liquid in the bubbles begins to darken, and the bubbles burst. |
| Then the liquid flows out and gradually dries. A small crust forms at the site of the bubble, which cannot be torn off by yourself. After a few more days, the crusts disappear on their own and leave no trace on the skin. |
Chickenpox in children lasts approximately 20 days. It is very important that the child does not comb the bubbles. In case of violation of the membrane, there is a high risk of infection in the wound. In this case, a scar remains on the skin, which remains for life.
In general, the course of the disease at different ages practically does not differ. The only difference is the duration of chickenpox.
- Young children tolerate the disease much faster than adolescents.
- Children over 12 years old can carry chickenpox in severe form. In addition to rashes with fever, the child may be disturbed by nausea and vomiting.
How does chickenpox begin in children: photo
Initially, the rash is easily confused with allergies.
Photo: The first signs of a rash In the photos below, you will see how chickenpox begins in children and how the disease develops.
Posted by: Rachael JessKomarovsky about how chickenpox begins
Doctor Komarovsky believes that every child should have chickenpox up to 12 years old, so as not to torment him at an older age. At this time, the disease is transmitted without complications in a milder form.
Komarovsky argues that the appearance of watery vesicles on the body is not always chicken pox. In some cases, an allergic reaction manifests itself in this way. The main indicator is an increase in body temperature, which can rise up to 39 degrees.
In some cases, the temperature fluctuates at subfebrile marks (37.0-37.4).
What to do at the first sign of chickenpox in a child?
Komarovsky recommends contacting your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. He also believes that treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, self-medication with “green” is not the best option for children, because today there are many medications that will alleviate the suffering of the patient.
Parents experience
Based on the reviews of mothers, we can conclude that the first signs of a chickenpox beginning are bubble rashes on the body. Body temperature rises only 3-4 days after the rash.
But the opinions of parents differ, as some argue that the development of chickenpox began precisely with elevated body temperature. 90% of mothers noted that rashes began with the face and scalp.
Chickenpox (chicken pox) is among the most common diseases in children. The disease causes a herpes simplex virus type 3 - Herpes Zoster, which spreads by airborne droplets (hence the name of the disease) from a sick child to a healthy one.
Chickenpox is a very contagious disease, so it often affects whole groups of children in kindergartens and elementary schools. In childhood, it proceeds quite easily, rarely gives complications. In ill children, life-long immunity to this disease is maintained.
Today we will talk about how chickenpox begins in children, we will specify the first signs, treatment of the disease. Consider traditional therapeutic techniques and folk remedies.
How does chickenpox begin, what signs point to it?
The incubation period of the disease lasts from 1 to 3 weeks, from the beginning of infection. At this time, the child feels well and looks quite healthy. However, with the end of the incubation period, the first signs appear that closely resemble the onset of acute respiratory infections: general weakness, drowsiness, headache, high fever (up to 39 C). Cough and runny nose may appear.
A strong increase in temperature can cause nausea and vomiting in the child. After reducing to normal values, these symptoms disappear.
The next day, pink spots appear, similar to mosquito bites. They can occur on any part of the body and at first there are very few of them. After a short time, a head appears inside the stain, inside which the liquid is contained.
The rash rapidly spreads over the entire surface of the skin, is also observed on the mucous membranes and under the hair on the head. Most acne is located on the face, hands, back and abdomen.
They itch a lot, giving the child a painful sensation. At the same time, they can not be combed. This leaves small scars on the skin, and also increases the risk of infection, causing various complications.
After the disappearance of the bubbles, a brown crust remains, falling off after a while. If the rashes are not combed, after leaving the crust on the skin there are no traces. Within 3 days, new abscesses appear instead of the disappeared abscesses. After a few more days, the symptoms begin to subside and recovery begins.
Chickenpox in children - treatment
There is no special treatment for chickenpox. Therapeutic measures are aimed at reducing the symptoms and drying of pustular rashes. A mild, moderate form is treated on an outpatient basis, under conditions of bed rest. The exception is a severe, complicated form.
In this case, the child is placed in a hospital.
Therapeutic measures are aimed at reducing symptoms. The child is given medications to reduce fever, usually Ibuprofen or Paracetamol. Aspirin is not recommended for use in this disease in order to avoid the occurrence of possible complications.
To reduce the intensity of itching, the patient is prescribed antihistamines and sedatives. They are prescribed individually, taking into account the indications and age of the patient.
Externally, the rashes are treated with brilliant green, which has a drying and disinfecting effect. Also use Fukortsin and Betadin. These solutions have an antimicrobial effect, preventing the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the wounds.
In addition, they effectively reduce itching, which is very important for a sick baby, because often these feelings are simply unbearable. Also for this purpose, you can use a good modern tool - Fenistil gel.
During treatment, avoid overheating the body of a sick child, do not wrap it. Excessive sweating enhances the sensation of itching from skin rashes. In order to reduce itching, it is recommended to change the child’s bed and underwear more often.
In severe chickenpox, when the risk of serious complications increases, in particular, from the central nervous system, the child is treated in a hospital. The composition of therapy includes antiherpetic drugs - Zovirax, Viralex, etc. Interferon and Immunoglobulin are also prescribed. These drugs reduce the risk of complications, relieve the symptoms of the disease.
All sick children are prescribed vitamin complexes to strengthen the immune system. A special anti-allergenic diet is also recommended.
Ill children must be isolated from healthy children in order to avoid the further spread of infection.
Alternative treatment
According to the light of the doctor, you can supplement the basic treatment prescribed by the doctor with folk remedies. Here are some effective recipes you can use to treat chickenpox in children:
Lubricate the abscesses with a solution of water and soda: half a glass of water - 1 tablespoon of soda. Dampen a cotton swab, treat the rashes, wait until the solution dries. This tool perfectly eliminates itching, dries the vesicles.
For children from 5 years old, let's drink lemon juice with honey (if there is no allergy to these components). Prepared as follows: for 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice, the same amount of honey. Take 1 tsp three times a day, after meals. The tool is intended to enhance immunity.
As we have already said, most often chickenpox in children is easy and rarely causes complications, unlike sick adults. After recovery, persistent lifelong immunity is maintained. However, treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor with the obligatory implementation of his instructions and recommendations.
Chickenpox vaccination in children - disease prevention
The first vaccine for the prevention of chickenpox was used in Japan back in 1974.
In 2008, the first vaccine for the prevention of chickenpox, Varilrix, was registered in the Russian Federation. Manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals S.A. This drug has been licensed for use in more than 93 countries around the world, including EU countries. Since 1974, more than 11 million doses have been administered worldwide. The safety of the drug was tested by 40 clinical trials around the world.
Chickenpox vaccination schedule
The vaccine is administered subcutaneously. If we are talking about children from 1 year to 13 years, then the administration is subcutaneous once. Children from 13 years of age and adults are given the vaccine twice with an interval of 6 to 10 weeks.
Chickenpox - One of the most common infectious diseases that occurs with a characteristic vesicle rash. Often sick children 2-6 years old, attending kindergarten or school (places with a lot of people).
The causative agent of chickenpox is one of the herpes viruses called Varicella zoster and has very high volatility (with air it can spread up to 20 meters). Outside the human body, the virus lasts only 10-15 minutes, quickly dies in direct sunlight and heating, so the greatest incidence occurs in the autumn-winter, early-spring period.
How can I get chickenpox
Transmission of infection occurs by airborne droplets (during a conversation, staying in one small unventilated room); with a stream of air, the virus can spread over long distances, for example, neighboring rooms. The causative agent of chickenpox is unstable in the external environment and enters the body through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract - through the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and throat. Then the virus spreads through the body with lymph and blood, penetrates the skin and mucous membranes, where it multiplies. Through things, objects and a third party, the virus is not transmitted.
The source of infection is a sick child who becomes contagious 1-2 days before the rash appears and remains contagious for the first 5-7 days after the last rashes. Infection can also occur from shingles.
It is believed that a child under 4-5 months of age is protected from the disease (in case the mother had chickenpox and the woman has antibodies to chickenpox virus). However, children of all ages, including newborns, can get chickenpox. More than 90% of cases are children under the age of 10 years.
The transferred disease leaves stable immunity, repeated cases of chickenpox are possible, but they are very rare.
Chickenpox incubation period
The incubation period is the period of time from the moment the virus enters the human body and until the first symptoms of the disease appear. Infection penetrates the tissues, organs, where they accumulate, the reproduction of the virus. The length of the incubation period is important to know in order to understand when to expect the first manifestations of chickenpox, as well as for quarantine measures.
As a rule, during the incubation period, a sick person is not contagious to others, but not with chickenpox. Isolation of germs with saliva during coughing and sneezing begins 1-3 days before the first signs of chickenpox appear.
Chickenpox usually appears between the 10th and the 19th day from the day of infection (the incubation period is 11-21 days, usually 14-16 days). Patients with chickenpox become infectious at the end of the incubation period (48 hours before the rash) and continue to pose a danger to others until the 5th day after the last element of the rash.
As a disease, chickenpox is diagnosed very easily.
Diagnosis of chickenpox
The diagnosis of chickenpox is made by the doctor if there is information about contact with the patient with chickenpox, a characteristic rash. When the doctor makes a diagnosis, he searches among the crusts for a fresh pimple with a bubble that has not yet burst.
Symptoms of chickenpox
Chicken pox begins with a rise in temperature to 38-39 ° C (although in some children the temperature is much lower), the child's weakness, small single red spots appear on this background, then in the next few hours, 3-5 mm diameter bubbles form on their base, filled with transparent liquid with a pink rim (they can be compared with a drop of dew).
Stage chickenpox:
1 - vesicle vesicle, 2 - formation of crusts.
On the second day, the contents of the bubbles become cloudy, the surface of the bubble becomes wrinkled, the center begins to sink. In the following days, crusts form, which gradually dry out and disappear within 7-14 days, leaving red spots that do not fade for many weeks. The rash usually does not occur simultaneously, but as if by tremors within 2-5 days. Due to the rapid change in each vesicle in one area of \u200b\u200bthe body, a rash can be seen at different stages: stain - vesicle - crust. When peeling off the peels and skidding the infection, scars may remain on the skin. The rash is accompanied by severe itching, a cough may appear (due to vesicles that affect the mucous membrane).
Usually, a chickenpox rash occurs first on the face, scalp, trunk, and then spreads to the limbs; sometimes the mucous membrane of the mouth, external genitalia, conjunctiva of the eye are affected. There is no rash on the palms and soles. The rash is accompanied by severe itching. The child becomes lethargic, naughty, his appetite worsens. As a rule, each wave of a new rash coincides with a deterioration in the general condition of a child with chickenpox.
Chickenpox on the neck of a child
Chickenpox forms
Chicken pox manifests itself in typical, atypical and erased clinical forms. According to the severity of the course, typical chickenpox is subdivided into mild, moderate and severe.
Lightweight chickenpox. The disease proceeds without a rise in temperature or body temperature does not exceed 38 ° C and is of a short-term nature. General well-being, as a rule, is not disturbed, rashes are not plentiful, last 2-3 days.
Moderate form of chickenpox - accompanied by an increase in temperature to 38-39 ° C, the temperature lasts for 3-4 days. Symptoms of intoxication appear: headache, may be vomiting, sleep disturbance and appetite are disturbed. Rashes are plentiful, especially on the trunk and limbs, and not only on the skin, but also on the mucous membranes of the mouth, external genital organs, last 5-7 days and are accompanied by skin itching. Many children with moderate forms of chickenpox have an increase in cervical lymph nodes.
Severe chickenpox. The temperature rises to 39-40 ° C, which lasts for 6-9 days. The child’s well-being worsens significantly, he has a headache, lethargy, vomiting, sometimes delirium, refusal to eat. Rashes on the skin and mucous membranes are plentiful, large, accompanied by severe skin itching lasting 7-8 days. Very often not only the cervical, but also axillary and inguinal lymph nodes increase.
Complications of chickenpox
Complications of chickenpox are rare: this is the development of croup, pneumonia, nephritis, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), and serous meningitis. Enlarged lymph nodes can be a reaction to an infection in the area of \u200b\u200bthe rash. More often, complications are caused by combing rashes and peeling of crusts, and this contributes to the attachment of a pustular infection (staphylococcus, streptococcus, pneumococcus), which leads to the formation of pustules; children of the first years of life develop otitis media and pneumonia. Complications are quite rare and most often associated with inaccurate treatment of rashes, which subsequently leads to scarring.
If the mother suffered chickenpox in the first trimester of pregnancy, the fetus may experience severe malformations.
Chickenpox is a "childhood" disease, but adults who have not had the disease can also be infected, and with age this disease is more difficult to tolerate.
Treatment and prevention of chickenpox
Prevention of chickenpox is the isolation of sick children until the fifth day after the appearance of the last elements of the rash. After isolation of the patient, the room is carefully, repeatedly aired - the virus is afraid of drafts. Wet cleaning is required. Children in contact with the patient are quarantined from the 11th to the 21st day of contact.
Treatment chickenpox is carried out at home and consists mainly in the prevention of bacterial complications. In order to avoid the spread of infection, all personal hygiene rules must be strictly observed:
- from the first day of illness, it is necessary to bathe the child, adding a weak solution of potassium permanganate to the bath. Itching can be alleviated with two to three baths per day with a warm solution of corn starch, baking soda, or oatmeal. Dissolve a full glass on a small bath, and 2 glasses on a large bath. Dry starch is poured into a container with a capacity of 2-4 cups, then with constant stirring, cold water is slowly added until the starch is completely dissolved (thus no lumps are formed). Then the resulting solution is poured into the bath.
- change linen daily. T-shirts and shirts should only be made from natural materials.
- to cut nails to prevent combing of bubbles. If your child is very small, put on cotton mittens.
- wash your child’s hands with soap and soap at least three times a day and put on cotton mittens at night so that he does not scratch himself in his sleep.
Do not let the child comb the blisters (scabs) that occur during chickenpox, this can lead to secondary bacterial infection or the formation of scars.
Your doctor may prescribe a mild antihistamine to relieve itching.
Lubricate the vials optionally with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (1-2%), an aqueous, alcoholic solution of brilliant green (1-2%), a solution of fucarcin, a solution of rivanol (0.05%), or an aqueous solution of methylene blue (1%). This will help to dry the bubbles.
If the baby has rashes on the mucous membrane of the mouth, regularly rinse with a weak solution of furatsilina or miramistin or treat with 2% solution of methylene blue.
When the temperature rises above 38 ° C, chills, the child must be given antipyretics based on paracetamol or ibuprofen, in no case should you give aspirin!
Try to follow a milk and vegetable diet (do not give the child sweets, soda, fried) and give the child a plentiful drink - juices (better diluted in half with water), rosehip broth, cranberry juice, dried fruit compote.
Try to have a comfortable temperature at home, do not confuse the baby, sweat enhances itching.