It is unlikely that there will be at least one person who managed not to get chickenpox. Chicken pox is considered a childhood infection, as it is mainly affected by children aged 10 years. How is chickenpox in children? The incubation period, treatment, symptoms and other important information are in our article today.
Chicken pox: causes and symptoms
The causative agent of the disease is the virus of the Herpes family Varicella Zoster. A person becomes contagious not when he has rashes, but two days before the first symptoms begin to appear - a nodular rash and temperature. The patient ceases to be a source of infection after a couple of days after the crusts from the rash come off.
Symptoms of the disease are a temperature of 38 degrees, weakness, fever, after which the first rash begins to appear. It is not only localized on the hands, face, but also on the scalp. At first, the rash has a rounded flat shape, after which it begins to rise above the level of the skin. After a couple of hours, bubbles appear on the site of the tubercles, which, when dried, turn into yellow crusts, and after a week they completely disappear.
How long does chickenpox last?
How long the temperature lasts with chickenpox depends on what form of chickenpox a person suffers from. There are such forms as:
- Light - with it the temperature does not rise above 37.5 degrees A, while it lasts only 1-3 days. Also often with this form of chickenpox, the temperature may not rise.
- Medium - with this form of the disease, the temperature lasts from 38 to 39 degrees and can bother for 3-4 days.
- The severe form of chickenpox is characterized by a longer period of the course of the disease - up to seven days, while it can rise up to 40 degrees.
In many ways, what the course of the disease will be depends on the age of the child and the state of his immune system.
First steps
What to do if your child has chickenpox? As soon as you notice a rash on the body, accompanied by a high fever and other symptoms of the disease, the first thing to do is call a pediatrician. Only a doctor can make the correct diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment. Often, additional tests are required to confirm the diagnosis.
As soon as parents become aware that their child is infected with chickenpox, they should immediately exclude the contact of the baby with other people, that is, visits to kindergarten and other kindergartens are excluded.
In order to cure the disease, you do not always need to go to the hospital, most often, treatment at home is enough. Usually, the doctor offers hospitalization if intoxication threatens the life of the child, as well as if the disease is severe. All measures taken should be aimed at preventing the development of complications.
Stages
What to do with chickenpox? This will depend on the period of the disease. They are as follows:
- The incubation period.
- Prodromal period.
- The height of chickenpox.
- The recovery period.
What characterizes the incubation period? It lasts 11-21 days. At this time, a person is already considered contagious, since the virus is in his body and is actively starting to multiply. Symptoms of the disease still may not be, and the chickenpox is insidious, since during the incubation period the disease proceeds hidden.
The prodromal period is the stage of the disease in which symptoms such as fever up to 38 degrees, weakness and malaise appear. The period lasts 1-2 days - before the rash begins to appear on the body.
What to do with chickenpox, if it is in full swing? This is the period of the appearance of active rashes, lasting 4-5 days. Bubbles do not appear at the same time, until the rash begins to crust on the hands, new rashes appear on the face or body. At this stage of the disease, the patient suffers from severe itching.
The recovery period is characterized by the appearance of crusts. Bubbles burst, contents come out of them and they begin to dry out, becoming covered with crusts. From the moment they appear on the body, the condition of the child improves. Gradually, the crusts disappear, the condition normalizes, the patient is no longer tormented by headaches.
Treatment of chickenpox during the incubation period and other stages of the disease
What to do with chickenpox? The main task in its treatment is the maximum relief of symptoms. The incubation period does not require treatment, since it is hidden. As soon as the first symptoms of smallpox appear, the patient is immediately shown bed rest.
The rash appears as a result of severe intoxication of the body as a reaction to infection. Kids under five years old tolerate smallpox quite easily, but the older the child, the more likely the risk of complications. The main thing is to prevent the rash from being combed, as scars may appear in its place. Also, there is a high probability of infection of the wound by pathogenic bacteria. To prevent the rash from scratching and causing discomfort, antihistamines should be taken. Also, do not allow overheating, since the more a person sweats, the more itching begins.
Also, all the bubbles that appear, regardless of the location of their location, need to be lubricated with brilliant green or other antiseptic in order to control the appearance of a new rash.
To bring down the temperature (not lower than 38 degrees), you can use candles based on paracetamol or ibuprofen. Also, at high temperature, the drug Efferalgan is effective. It is very important to use medicines to lower the temperature according to the age of the patient. It is forbidden to use vinegar or vodka to treat the rash. This is due to the fact that poisoning of the body or a burn of the epidermis is possible.
If bubbles with transparent contents appear in the mouth, it is necessary to rinse it with a decoction of chamomile. It also happens that bubbles appear on the conjunctiva of the eye. You should not beware of complications for vision, since chickenpox does not harm him. However, treatment should still be carried out. So, the eyelids should be washed with chamomile broth. Also useful is the use of saline, which drip eyes.
Antibiotics are used in the treatment of chickenpox only in cases where there is a complication in the form of a bacterial infection.
Antiviral with chickenpox
Taking antiviral drugs for chickenpox causes a lot of controversy, as some doctors believe that this is a mandatory measure to speed up the healing process, while others are sure that the body should cope with chickenpox on its own. Given that the disease is caused by a virus, taking antivirals for chickenpox is desirable, as it will be easier for the patient to tolerate the disease. Due to the effects of drugs, the herpes virus will significantly weaken and, accordingly, its manifestations on the skin will not be so bright and intense.
Pills from chickenpox
For chickenpox, the medications are as follows:
- Antihistamines - Suprastin, Claritin, Tavegil.
- Antiviral - Alpizarin, Acyclovir-Acre, Zovirax.
- Antipyretic drugs - Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Ibuklin.
Many medicines from the above list are available in pill form. In what form it is better to take the medicine, depends on the patient individually. If the child is very small and cannot independently swallow the pill, you should find a more suitable form of the drug for him - syrup or suppository. Pupils from chickenpox are more suitable for schoolchildren. Manufacturers indicate the dosage for taking the medicine for adults and children, therefore, medications should be taken in strict accordance with the instructions.
What to smear, except for green
A solution of brilliant green has been used for chickenpox since Soviet times. Use it in order to control the number of bubbles that appear. The advantage of greenbacks is that it is clearly visible, but many refuse to use it, since it, as an antiseptic, dries the skin very much, in addition, leaves traces on both bedding and clothes.
How to smear chickenpox in children, except for brilliant green? In addition to this medication, you can also use:
- Five percent solution of potassium permanganate. The drug dries the rash well and disinfects it.
- Fukortsin. This medicine also dries the vesicles, its advantage is that after drying, ointment can be applied to it. The only drawback of fucorcin is that it does not differ much in color from the rash, therefore it is quite difficult to control the rashes using it.
- What else can you smear with chickenpox in children, except for green? You can use a 0.5-3 percent solution of methylene blue. The blue medicine is perfectly washed and serves as an effective remedy for chickenpox.
- Salicylic alcohol. With it, various skin diseases and skin lesions are treated, therefore it can be used for chickenpox.
- Tsindol ointment. This drug is available in the form of a suspension and contains zinc oxide, which acts as a drying and anti-inflammatory agent. After adding the specified amount of water to the suspension, you should leave it for a while in a dark place, and after draining the upper liquid, you need to lubricate the skin with a thickened sediment.
Effective ointment for chickenpox
What is a good ointment for chickenpox? With the disease, ointments can be used, depending on what effect should be - elimination of itching, quick healing of wounds or inhibition of the herpes virus. Among the most effective drugs are zinc cream, due to which there is a rapid opening of the vesicles and their healing, as well as "Gistan" or "Fenistil" gel, which have a calming and cooling effect, making itching easier to tolerate.
Hygiene rules for chickenpox
Many parents are interested in the question, how much can not be washed with chickenpox? There is an opinion that it is strictly forbidden to bathe with the disease, but this is a mistake, since it is on these days that all hygiene rules are followed. The child can be washed gently with warm water using ordinary soap without fragrances and fragrances. A couple of potassium permanganate crystals can be added to the water. Promote the rapid healing of wounds will be the use of bathing decoctions of oak bark, chamomile or calendula. You can’t bathe a patient for a long time, you should limit yourself to the usual washing.
Hard sponges can not be used so as not to tear off the crusts and prevent infection of the wound. After completing the water procedures, you should wet your baby’s body with a towel and put on clean linen.
Bed linen should be changed as often as possible, it should be soft so as not to cause discomfort.
What can not be done with a disease
Chickenpox is far from a harmless disease, as was previously thought. Therefore, you should take into account all the prohibitions during the treatment of the disease in order to prevent complications after chickenpox. What can not be done with chickenpox?
- You can not let the child go outside before the end of the incubation period in order to avoid infection of other people with chickenpox.
- You can not give any antipyretic or other medicine during the treatment of the disease, since it must be prescribed by a pediatrician. It would seem that it is enough for a medicine to bring down the temperature, but an improperly selected antipyretic can lead to an increase in the number of rashes, to a longer healing process or to blood poisoning. Doctors insist that when treating chickenpox, you should not give your child aspirin. This is due to the fact that this medicine causes damage to the brain and liver - Reye's syndrome. The risk of the disease is especially high in children during the course of chickenpox, when the immune system is weakened.
- You can not wash the child with hard sponges and brushes, since if the bubbles are injured, they can become infected with a bacterial infection, as a result of which smallpox (scars) may appear. For the same reason, you can not comb the rash, so you need to ensure that the child does not itch.
- Since intoxication, weakness and fever are observed in children with chickenpox, it is not worth introducing fatty and fried foods into his diet. You should also abandon everything sharp, very sweet, salty and spicy, since such food can cause problems with the work of the gastrointestinal tract, as a result, itching may intensify. Also, such food has an extremely negative effect on the work of the liver, and during chickenpox it is already subjected to a serious load.
Quarantine in kindergarten
A feature of chickenpox is that it is very contagious. You can get the disease by simple contact with a sick person and in the case of using the same things. Therefore, given the high degree of contact between children in kindergarten, institutions are quarantined in order to prevent complications after chickenpox. As soon as a child with chickenpox is found in kindergarten, a pediatrician is called immediately, who must confirm the diagnosis and report the case to the district clinic. Quarantine for chickenpox in a kindergarten is introduced through an order from the head physician of the clinic.
It is introduced on the 21st day from the moment the doctor identified the last child with chickenpox. It is during this time that the completely incubation period of the disease should pass, in which its main symptoms may be absent. If more cases of chickenpox are detected among children attending kindergarten, quarantine will again be extended.
What to do with chickenpox in adults
The smallpox herpes virus can cause illness in both a child and an adult if he has not had chickenpox before. The older the person, the more difficult it is for him to endure a viral disease.
The incubation period of the disease in adults is 23 days, during which time no symptoms of chickenpox develop.
Symptoms of chickenpox in an adult can be:
- Malaise.
- Lethargy.
- A sore throat.
- High fever.
- The appearance of pink spots on the skin.
What to do with chickenpox in adults? As soon as the first symptoms of smallpox appear, you need to urgently consult a doctor so that he prescribes antiviral, antihistamines and antipyretic drugs. Among antiviral drugs, Valacyclovir, Viferon and Acyclovir are most effective. Paracetamol or Ibuprofen will be removed. Sea buckthorn oil or Chlorophyllipt can be used to treat wounds in the mouth. Also, there will be no extra rinses of herbal preparations, such as chamomile and succession. The use of antihistamines is necessary because of the itching of the wounds, so that it does not bother, you can use "Diazolin" in strict accordance with the instructions.
As in children, the course of the disease depends on what form of chickenpox. Often the period of active rashes takes 2-3 days, it happens that the temperature lasts 9 days.