Probably everyone knows perfectly well about such a disease as chickenpox. Most people became ill with it in childhood and the next time they remember it only after many years, when they themselves become parents and see familiar symptoms in children. That is why it will be quite useful to know about chickenpox in a one-year-old child - sometimes this helps to avoid very unpleasant consequences.
What it is
To begin with, the official name for the disease is chicken pox. It is transmitted by airborne droplets and is one of the most infectious. Fortunately, the vast majority of people suffer from chickenpox only once - after this, immunity is acquired, which lasts throughout life.
The only exceptions are people with severe forms of immunodeficiency - HIV and others. They can get sick again, both shortly after infection, and many years later.
Where can I get infected?
As mentioned above, chickenpox is transmitted by airborne droplets. And at the same time it is very contagious. It’s not necessary to even talk or otherwise communicate with an infected person. It is enough to go through the porch, shop or any other room where he visited. Well, with communication or direct contact, the risk of infection is really great - about 70%. Of course, this is relevant only for people who do not have immunity. About the group in kindergarten, where dozens of children are in a small and often poorly ventilated room (so that there are no drafts), you can not talk.
Fortunately, the causative agent itself cannot exist for a long time outside the host organism. Even under normal conditions, he dies in about ten minutes. And when heated, exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light, this happens almost instantly - the virus does not differ in special survivability. Therefore, in most cases, it is enough not to communicate with an infected person and provide good ventilation in the room with him, so as not to catch the infection.
Main symptoms
Now let's talk briefly about how chickenpox looks like in a one-year-old child.
Of course, the most noticeable symptom is the appearance of red spots on the skin. Sometimes they can be confused with insect bites, so you need to be very careful when examining. They itch very much, but you should not let the child comb them so that subsequently there are no scars. Most often, considering a photo of a child with chickenpox (a year old or older - it does not matter), it is this symptom that is noticed first of all, which is not surprising.
First, spots appear on the chest, face and back, and only then spread throughout the body. A few days later, small bubbles filled with liquid form at the spots. They can not be combed all the more - the likelihood of serious complications is high.
The number of spots can vary significantly. In one child, their number can be measured in tens, and in another - in thousands. But still, if an ordinary, healthy and strong one-year-old child fell ill with chickenpox, most likely, from two hundred to three hundred spots will appear on the body. This is for the entire period of the disease.
There are other symptoms of chickenpox in a one-year-old child, as well as in an adult. In some cases, they appear simultaneously with spots, and in others - after a few days. This may include loss of appetite, fever, fever, headache and tearfulness.
Treatment
To begin with, in general, the treatment of chickenpox in a one-year-old child usually comes down to observation. It is necessary to monitor whether new spots appear on the body. Five days after the last appearance, the child ceases to be infectious.
But treatment in most cases is better not to do at all. A healthy body of a child who ate well, received the necessary vitamins, lived in a clean, warm house, and he himself can easily cope with the disease. Yes, it will take several days. But immunity will remain for life and certainly there will not be unnecessary harm caused by improperly selected medicines.
It is immediately worthwhile to warn that in no case should you use drugs containing acetylsalicylic acid (it is also aspirin). Many parents, deciding to bring down the fever, make this terrible mistake, not imagining that it can lead to serious complications, namely, Reye's syndrome, which we will talk about later.
Antibiotics are also useless. After all, these are antimicrobial drugs that do not help with viral diseases. But to harm a child by striking a fragile body, they may well.
In general, in children the disease is quite easy. Chickenpox for both a 1.5-year-old child and a 12-year-old teenager does not cause any particular problems. An entirely different matter is infection of an adult who has not been ill in childhood.
Still problems can arise in children aged several months - here you must definitely consult a doctor.
A healthy child does not need treatment at all. It is necessary to monitor whether new smallpox appears, reduce itching (we will talk about this later), drink plenty of water and moderate feed. In the vast majority of cases, this is enough for the disease to go away quickly and without complications. Some pediatricians recommend antiviral drugs "Acyclovir" or "Viferon" for older children, antihistamines for relieving itching - "Zirtek", "Suprastin", "Claritin", at high temperatures - antipyretic.
Possible complications
The most common consequence is the preservation of small scars (more precisely, potholes) on the skin in places of blisters. Alas, they do not always pass — part may remain for life.
If the child’s immunity has been seriously weakened (for example, by systematic malnutrition), normal chickenpox can develop into pneumonia. However, this happens extremely rarely, mainly in dysfunctional families.
Chickenpox encephalitis is even more serious . The reasons leading to it, alas, are not fully understood. It can affect parts of the brain, which causes facial expressions and behaviors, tremors and poor coordination. Fortunately, the right therapy can get rid of the disease.
Finally, Reye's syndrome, which was mentioned earlier. Its other name is acute hepatic encephalopathy. The disease is very rare, but at the same time severe. It usually develops when drugs containing acetylsalicylic acid are used during chickenpox. In children under 12 years of age, 20-25% of cases are fatal.
Why smear children with brilliant green?
Looking at the photo of a child with chickenpox (whether it is a year old or not), you can often see that the red dots on his face or body are smeared with green paint. And in practice, many people remember that their parents smeared them during their illness. Of course, the expected thought arises: this is the cure. In fact, this is not so. After all, red spots are a symptom of the disease, not a source. Why then are children smeared with brilliant green?
In fact, everything is simple, although a little unexpected. On the fifth day after the appearance of the last points on the body, the disease recedes, and the child no longer poses a danger to those around him - he will not infect anyone (the opposite cannot be said - chickenpox greatly muffles immunity). But how do you know which spot appeared today and which yesterday? It is for this that greenback is used - to mark old and already spotted spots. Accordingly, five days after the last use of brilliant green, the child becomes completely healthy.
Therefore, instead of brilliant green, you can use any means at all - at least a marker, even a pen. It’s just that the green stuff is most often in the medicine cabinet, and it’s more reasonable to apply it than ink. Some use fucorcin, a bright raspberry colored drug with antiseptic and antifungal effects.
How to reduce itching
Talking about the signs of chickenpox in a one-year-old child, we mentioned that red spots, not to mention watery vesicles, itch a lot. And in no case can you comb them. How to help a child, especially a one-year-old, who can not explain the inadmissibility of combing? Fortunately, there are several ways to relieve itching.
First of all, you need to turn on the air conditioner or open the windows to lower the room temperature. If the room is cooler, the child will sweat less, which means that itching will be easier to endure.
Also, it will be useful for the child to take a cool bath. This will remove sweat and also reduce itching due to shorter pores. An additional effect can be achieved by adding a few teaspoons of soda to the water. After that, use only a clean towel and do not rub the skin, but blot it.
At night, it is worth putting cotton gloves on the child’s arms so that he does not scratch the bubbles in his sleep.
Chickenpox Prevention
Unfortunately, the possibility of infection cannot be completely ruled out - the disease is very contagious. But the course of the disease can be facilitated. To do this, first of all, you need to temper the child. Yes, strong immunity not only facilitates the course of the disease and shortens its duration, but also reduces the likelihood of complications.
Regular cool, and better - contrasting - a shower can become a reliable assistant in such a situation.
The child should spend as much time as possible in the fresh air, moving a lot, getting useful physical activity.
And, of course, the nutrition should be complete - a balanced menu and a sufficient amount of vitamins seriously strengthen the body of the child, turning chickenpox into a fleeting and unforgettable disease.
Windmill gatherings
Quite popular among young mothers are the so-called chickenpox parties. When one child gets sick, familiar parents bring their children to visit him so that they play and just stay in the same room for some time.
This is a reasonable decision: in childhood, chickenpox is much easier than in 20-30 years, and the number of cases with complications is sharply reduced. In addition, this infection will be already planned. So, there is an opportunity to prepare for it. Also, which is a huge plus, parents know for sure that the child should be infected with chickenpox in the coming days. And they will not smear red spots on the body with gel from insect bites or try to bring down the heat with aspirin, as they do most often.
Therefore, this decision can be called very sound. Of course, such gatherings should not be visited by people whose child has recently been ill with something serious and because of this has weakened immunity - it’s better to wait a few weeks until the body recovers completely and visit another “chickenpox party” that will temper the child and not cause him harm.
Is it worth it to get vaccinated?
In the United States, chickenpox vaccines are quite popular. Moreover, they are even included in the compulsory vaccination program established by the Ministry of Health.
Therefore, the question often arises for parents is whether the child needs to be vaccinated or is it better to attend a "chickenpox party". It would seem that vaccination is much better - because children get a weakened infection, which is easier to fight with than usual.
But as practice shows, the natural acquisition of immunity is preferable. If only because with the right treatment (or rather, observation and non-intervention), complications almost never occur. In addition, vaccines, alas, often give a side effect, which does not happen with a common disease. Finally, an important factor is the high cost of such vaccinations.
Conclusion
This concludes our article. In it, we tried to talk in more detail about chickenpox in a one-year-old child, symptoms and treatment, possible consequences and ways to facilitate the course. We hope that this information will be useful to readers.