Every child can face chickenpox , because the disease is characterized by a high degree of infectivity. Each mother, worried about the state of her baby, asks: how is chickenpox transmitted to children through third parties?
What is chickenpox?
Chicken pox is considered one of the most famous diseases in childhood. It causes its virus, which belongs to the group of herpes, namely the virus of the third type of herpes. In the adult population, such a virus provokes a disease called shingles.
The susceptibility of a person who has not previously had chickenpox is 90-100%.
For infection, it is enough to stay with a sick child nearby for 5-10 minutes. The virus has high mobility, which helps it to cover a distance of at least 20 meters.
Windmill transmission routes
How is chickenpox transmitted through third parties? The disease can be transmitted from sick adults and children to healthy in the following ways:
- Airborne. The most famous disease transmission route. In this case, the virus, when sneezing and coughing, is transmitted by a sick child, who at this moment has no external signs of the disease, healthy. The baby is considered contagious during the entire period of the rash and in the next five days after the last bubble appears on the skin.
- Contact. This method of transmission is considered very rare, because in this case, a person is infected by contact with the contents of the patient's vesicles, which contain many viruses.
- Intrauterine. During pregnancy, the fetus can become infected from the mother, who was not sick before the illness and did not pass the vaccination. If a woman falls ill in the early stages of pregnancy, then the unborn child may experience serious developmental disabilities. When the virus enters the body of the expectant mother after 12 weeks of pregnancy, the baby may have a congenital chickenpox, which appears immediately after birth and is difficult to tolerate for newborns. When a child becomes infected before childbirth, the mother’s antibodies do not have time to pass on to him and congenital chickenpox occurs.
Worried mothers ask: can I get chickenpox through a third party? Well-known pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky says that it is impossible to get infected through a third party. Infection occurs directly from the patient to healthy.
At what age does the disease most often occur?
Most often, the disease is diagnosed in children over the age of 2 years and younger than 8-10 years. Children 4-5 years old are most sensitive to the virus.
In newborns up to 6 months, this disease does not occur, because at birth they received antibodies to chickenpox from an ill mother. In rare cases, the disease can occur in infants if the mother herself did not suffer from chickenpox and did not pass on her antibodies to him.
How is chickenpox transmitted through third parties? Infants older than six months due to a decrease in the number of antibodies can become infected only by contact with a sick person. At this age, the disease is quite easy.
Stage chickenpox
Chickenpox infectious period? When in contact with a sick child, the disease goes through several stages:
- During the incubation period, the virus actively multiplies and accumulates in the mucous membranes. Symptoms of the disease at this moment are absent. The duration of this period can be 21 days, but in some cases the disease occurs within two weeks.
- In the prodromal period , the virus enters the bloodstream, which is manifested by some symptoms, but it will not be possible to diagnose chickenpox yet.
- During the rash stage, rashes appear on the patient’s skin, which are characteristic of chickenpox.
- During the recovery period, the formation of antibodies to the disease occurs and new rashes cease to occur.
How is chickenpox transmitted through third parties?
Chickenpox virus is characterized by low resistance. When it is located outside the human body, an instant death of the virus occurs. Its viability can be maintained for a quarter of an hour on objects indoors and outdoors. The virus dies from the sun, from temperature changes and disinfectant solutions.
Therefore, when mothers are worried about the baby’s health, they ask: is it possible to get chickenpox through a third party? Pediatricians always answer: it is impossible to get infected through third parties with this disease.
Symptoms of chickenpox
Typically, chickenpox begins the same way as any catarrhal disease:
- headache;
- lack of appetite;
- a sore throat;
- muscle aches in the limbs;
- moodiness and irritability;
- enlarged lymph nodes.
The temperature during chickenpox can range from 37-38 degrees, in rare cases reaches 39 degrees. The occurrence of temperature is associated with the severity of the course of the disease.
The most obvious manifestation of chickenpox can be considered rashes. This disease does not occur without rashes.
Typically, a rash occurs with the onset of high fever. First, it appears on the body, and then spreads to the lower and upper limbs, the head. Another rash may be in the mouth and on the genitals. Acne with chickenpox gives children a severe itch.
At first, the rash is small red spots, then they become like insect bites (papules). After a certain period, the skin begins to exfoliate and a transparent liquid appears in the middle. As a result, vesicles appear at the site of the papules.
The contents that are in the vesicles gradually become cloudy, the bubbles burst and crusts appear on them. If the child does not comb them, then acne heals completely without consequences. Simultaneously with the drying of the rash, new spots form, and then vesicles. The temperature with chickenpox reappears when new bubbles appear.
Complications of chickenpox
Chickenpox can occur in severe form, complicated by the following diseases:
- pneumonia
- skin infection due to combing of vesicles;
- stomatitis;
- otitis media;
- encephalitis;
- hepatitis
- inflammatory diseases of the joints, muscles, etc.
Disease duration
Chickenpox infectious period? How long it will hurt a child to establish is definitely impossible. This largely depends on the characteristics of the child's body. The prodromal period can be from 1-2 days, and sometimes a rash occurs along with a worsening condition.
The period when rashes appear can last from 2-9 days. Usually, vesicles do not occur after 5-9 days from the onset of the first symptoms of chickenpox.
The time when the skin heals after the formation of crusts on all vesicles can last 1-2 weeks. If the disease proceeds in a mild form, then it can last 7-8 days, and with a complication - several weeks.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis of chickenpox is made by the doctor based on the patient's complaints, the appearance of a rash and fever. In some cases, chickenpox is difficult to distinguish from allergies, herpes, measles, because the manifestations in the form of a rash, fever and other signs are similar.
In this case, a blood test will help to accurately determine the disease.
Chickenpox treatment
Treatment for chickenpox includes the following rules:
- In most cases, the disease in children is treated without the use of antiviral drugs. Only drugs aimed at getting rid of the symptoms of the disease are used. For bacterial complications, antibiotics may be prescribed.
- To reduce the risk of chickenpox in adults, they are isolated from sick babies. This is especially necessary for pregnant women, people with chronic diseases.
- At high temperatures, babies are shown bed rest, if it does not increase, it is not necessary to be in bed.
- Chickenpox nutrition should consist of products that are easily digested (soups, dairy products, steamed meat dishes, vegetables). Although with a disease, a special diet is not necessary, it is better to exclude it: fried, spicy, smoked. If there are bubbles in the mouth, the food should be consumed in the form of mashed potatoes.
- With chickenpox, a child should drink more liquid (fruit drinks, weak tea, moderately sweet compote, water).
- To reduce the temperature, the child must be given drugs (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen), the doses of which should be agreed with the doctor.
- To reduce nervous irritability and irritability, the following drugs can be prescribed to the child: Notta, Nervochel.
- To reduce itching and to prevent infection of the skin, it is necessary to treat it with Brilliant Green and Fucortsin.
- In the case when the rash itches and bothers the child, the specialist may prescribe antihistamines: Suprastin, Zodak, Claritin.
- For quick healing of the vesicles, you can use tea tree oil.
- It is necessary to pay attention to the temperature in the room of the child. It is best that the room is not hot and the baby is dressed in spacious clothes made from natural fabrics.
- It is urgent to seek medical help if it is impossible to bring down a high temperature and the child has symptoms of complications (vomiting, coughing, convulsions, photophobia).
- Although the child is not contagious within 5 days after the appearance of the last rashes on the skin, you should not appear with him in crowded places. People may ask questions: What is the period of chickenpox infection? and is it possible for the baby to be in society?
During illness, parents should tell the child what is happening to him in an interesting and understandable way.
Prevention methods
What to do in order not to get chickenpox? It is well known that chickenpox is a highly contagious disease and the main defense against it is vaccination. For life, immunity does not occur. When the vaccine is given no later than 72 hours after contact with the patient, then there is guaranteed protection against the virus for a while.
If vaccination is not done on time, you should:
- It is necessary to isolate the patient during the illness from healthy people for the entire period of infectiousness.
- How is chickenpox transmitted through third parties? It is well known that chickenpox is not persistent and cannot be transmitted in this way, but some mothers wash the patient’s clothes separately from the clothes of other family members for prevention purposes.
- Providing the patient with separate dishes, linen and other hygiene items.
- Use a gauze bandage on the face.
- Be sure to constantly conduct wet cleaning of the room in which the patient is located.
Despite the fact that chickenpox is a contagious disease, in order not to get sick with it, it is worth using the whole complex of preventive measures, but it is better to get vaccinated.