The Varicella Zoster virus (varicella zoster), a member of the herpes virus family, is the causative agent of chickenpox. Despite the fact that its survival in the external environment is reduced to zero, its virulence is 100%.
Childhood illness
Most people consider chickenpox to be a common and fearless childhood illness, but this is a misconception. Despite the fact that in adults this ailment is much more difficult, complications in a child after chickenpox can also be completely harmless.
Chickenpox infection occurs by airborne droplets, mainly by direct contact with an already sick person. It is considered impossible to infect from third parties or from household items.
You should not think that you can get chickenpox virus only from a person who has visible signs of this disease (treated with a rash). A person becomes a carrier of infection a few days before the appearance of rashes, and they, in turn, can begin from the 10th to the 21st day after contact with the patient.
The infectious period ends only when new rashes cease to appear, and the old ones crust over and dry out.
Symptoms
The onset of the disease may be accompanied by the following symptoms:
- general malaise;
- headache;
- increase in body temperature to 38-40 degrees;
- stomach ache;
- the appearance of a rash on the skin.
Rashes (they indicate that it is chickenpox virus) can appear on the back, stomach, head, face, genital area and on the mucous membranes of the mouth (less often - the eye).
They cause great discomfort because they cause itching. But it is necessary in every possible way to prevent their combing.
Within a few hours, the rash becomes covered with vesicles that dry out after 2-3 days, and after 6-8 completely disappear. A scar can remain if you comb an abscess, thereby damaging the germ layer. Heat and rashes are observed from five to fourteen days, depending on the course of the disease and the treatment undertaken.
Distinguish between typical and atypical forms of chickenpox. Most often, the first option occurs, in which there are mild, moderate and severe forms of the disease. The second is diagnosed much less often, and it is extremely dangerous - fraught with complications and even deaths.
How to treat
The very first thing you should do when you find symptoms of Varicella Zoster is to see your doctor. It must be called home, because your visit to the clinic is accompanied by the risk of infection for a large number of people.
The doctor will prescribe treatment based on the picture of the disease and the medical history of the patient. This will avoid a possible complication in a child after chickenpox.
Treatment of chickenpox is carried out mainly at home and comes down to the following recommendations:
- observe bed rest;
- take antipyretic drugs if necessary;
- adhere to the diet recommended by the doctor;
- treat abscesses with antiseptic agents (if necessary with an anesthetic effect);
- as prescribed by a doctor, take antihistamines and antiviral drugs;
- pay particular attention to hygiene.
With rare exceptions, hospitalization may be required. This becomes necessary in the case of a severe course of the disease, and especially in the presence of symptoms of damage to the nervous system. In a hospital setting, there is a higher chance of avoiding undesirable consequences.
Bacterial complications
Unfortunately, complications are not always avoided. Despite the fact that this happens quite rarely, the consequences can be very serious. The following types of complications after chickenpox are distinguished: bacterial and viral.
The most common are complications caused by the attachment of the bacterial background to the elements of the rash caused by Varicella Zoster. This is due to combing the wounds and the possibility of joining streptococcal or staphylococcal infection. This raises concerns that the infection will spread throughout the body, and the doctor must prescribe an antibiotic.
Bacteria are also able to give complications to internal organs. For example, bacterial pneumonia may develop, if it is suspected that treatment should be carried out in a hospital.
The most serious bacterial complication is considered to be meningoencephalitis (brain damage). In this case, you must also immediately seek medical help.
Virus Complications
Also, complications in a child after chickenpox can be caused by a virus. For example, if the virus spreads to the lower respiratory tract. This can provoke viral pneumonia, which, like bacterial, is treated exclusively in the hospital, but with the use of antiviral drugs.
One of the serious complications is considered false croup, provoked by chickenpox rashes on the larynx. In this case, the larynx of the child swells, not allowing breathing, and it begins to turn blue. In this situation, you must call an ambulance.
Also serious are complications caused by viral brain damage. With timely, correctly selected treatment, viral encephalitis can pass without consequences.
Sometimes there are lesions of the heart and kidneys with varicella-zoster virus or bleeding provoked by it (nasal, gastric, pulmonary).
How to protect yourself?
The human body, once sick with chickenpox, develops stable immunity to it. But what to do for those who did not have the “happiness” to transfer this disease in childhood, when the course and possible complications of the disease are minimal? Vaccination is recommended.
This simple procedure reliably protects against the virus, does not cause complications and is easily tolerated. Especially the vaccine is indicated for women of childbearing age who have not suffered chickenpox in childhood, since infection with this virus during pregnancy leads to dire consequences.
In any case, this childhood illness must be treated as an adult. For proper and timely treatment, in order to avoid complications in a child after chickenpox, the help of a specialist is necessary.