Almost all parents worry about their children. Loving mothers and fathers try to protect kids from everything. But, despite such care, children still manage to get sick. One of the most difficult diseases is chickenpox. Almost every child was ill with it. Let's see how chickenpox occurs ? How to treat chickenpox in children?
This chickenpox ...
Chickenpox is a viral infection exclusively transmitted by airborne droplets. The disease causes a herpes type 3 virus. After the disease, the infection goes into a latent state. However, a “sleepy” virus can activate and cause shingles. Chicken pox viruses can travel several meters. They have a unique ability - the ability to live in the atmosphere.
How does infection happen?
As we already know, chickenpox is transmitted through the air, so the virus enters the mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes or new cavity. The virus itself is quite persistent, so it can even spread to neighboring apartments. The incubation period of an infected child is up to 3 weeks. 5 days after the last rash, the virus loses its activity. When the last rash begins to heal, the baby becomes contagious to others.
Will the child get sick?
According to statistics, up to 80% of children become infected after contact with a sick child. The rest may not get sick, because the immune system fights another disease, and therefore "works" in full force. Of course, the next seasonal spread of infection will come and their turn.
How to treat chickenpox in children under 6 months? It is worth noting that a child under 3 months old will also not get chickenpox, as he has a fairly stable immunity. However, by the age of 6 months, immunity is gradually reduced. If the baby is breastfed, then the antibodies produced by the mother pass into breast milk and protect the baby. Chicken pox in children under one year old is very difficult, because imperfect immunity is not able to deal with such a difficult disease.
Symptoms of chickenpox
Before treating chickenpox in children, it is necessary to consider the main symptoms that portend the onset of the disease.
- The child has a fever, a headache;
- There is a feeling of tiredness and lack of appetite ;
- After 2-3 hours, the first rash appears on the baby’s body
What is a rash?
The rash appears in the form of flat reddish spots spreading throughout the body. The first rashes are mostly ignored, because Do not cause inconvenience to the child.
After a couple of hours, small spots turn into bubbles with a clear liquid. At this time, the child has an unbearable itch. At this point, parents need to control the children, as when combing, there is a high probability of infection of an open wound.
Rashes on the child’s body are wave-like. Bubbles appear on the body from 4 to 8 days. If the child regularly combed rashes during the inflammatory process, scar formation is possible.
How to treat chickenpox in children?
There is no special medicine for chickenpox yet . Mostly, chickenpox is treated at home (with the exception of serious illnesses). The main factors for proper treatment are bed rest, regular, plentiful drinking and frequent changes of bed linen.
Remember, bathing a child can trigger the spread of infection, which can penetrate through affected areas of the body.
How to treat children's chickenpox?
- Regular treatment (up to 3 to 4 times a day) with green broth helps to speed up drying of the bubbles.
- To relieve itching, it is recommended to take Suparstin or Diazolin.
- To reduce body temperature, it is necessary to take antipyretic drugs - Paracetamol, Nurofen, Efferalgan, etc. However, children under 12 years old are not recommended to take Aspirin.
Complications of chickenpox
Subject to all recommendations, the disease goes away without complications. In some cases, when combing a rash, small scars remain on the body. In rare cases, chickenpox can cause brain inflammation.
Chickenpox can cause the development of viral pneumonia, damage to the liver, kidneys and spleen. In some cases, with insufficient processing, bursting vesicles cause skin bacterial complications. Therefore, with any doubt of the parents, a pediatrician consultation is necessary.
For the baby and his mother, chickenpox is a rather difficult test. Parents need to be patient and help the child quickly cope with the disease. Help your child avoid negative memories of an unpleasant disease that may haunt him throughout his life.