Do you know which disease is the most unpleasant, unattractive in appearance, but, at the same time, far from the most dangerous and painful? Of course, this is chickenpox in children, one of the most common diseases that gets sick only once in a lifetime.
If you have had this illness in childhood, you have developed lifelong immunity. But if you have children - this disease is sure to visit the house sooner or later, so you need to prepare for it in advance. Do not be afraid - at an early age, chickenpox is much easier than in an adult, but it is better to know about its first symptoms and methods of infection in advance.
Chicken pox is transmitted - and this is the medical name for this disease sounds - through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and eyes, that is, by airborne droplets. Most often, the symptoms of chickenpox in children appear before the age of 10-12 years, when at least one sick baby appears in a preschool or school. If one gets sick - everyone gets sick, this rule is never violated, unless, of course, someone has not suffered the disease even earlier. This disease becomes contagious the day before skin rashes appear on the skin, and ceases to be such - five days after the disappearance of the last rashes. On average, the quarantine period lasts seven to nine days, although the child may well transmit the disease to his peers in kindergarten or school when it is in the incubation period.
Visible symptoms of chickenpox in children can appear after 1-3 weeks of contact with sick comrades, when the incubation period ends and the disease enters the final stage. At this stage, a sick child’s body temperature rises sharply (sometimes it rises to 39.5 degrees), and skin rashes, excruciating headache and a feeling of rapid fatigue and weakness first occur. Skin rashes appear in the form of flat pink spots, the amount of which increases over time. Then the spots become convex, turn into bubbles with liquid contents. Moms and dads should make sure that a sick child does not scratch and squeeze out bubbles, otherwise infection can be introduced. Such symptoms of chickenpox in children can occur throughout the body, not only on the skin, but also on all mucous membranes (in the mouth, in the corners of the eyes, in the genital area). The disease passes in waves within 3-4 days, new vesicles form when the previous ones disappear, and only after this time, crusts form on the damaged areas, which disappear on their own over time.
Parents should remember that the treatment of chickenpox in children is necessarily carried out in quarantine conditions. Although chickenpox spreads as a virus and is not susceptible to antibiotics, doctors still prescribe these drugs. Basically, they are needed in order to fight against a bacterial infection, an invariable companion of the disease, leading to suppuration of the vesicles, especially if the babies constantly comb them. During this period, it is very important to distract the child from itching throughout the body - to play with him or read fairy tales. While the symptoms of chickenpox in children appear, they are better off in bed. To prevent the child from suffering from itching, the spots should be lubricated with brilliant green and washed with a weak solution of manganese, and also ensure that the skin comes into contact only with soft, dry tissues (so that discomfort does not worsen, and healing does not last longer than usual) and clean. An alternative to wiping can be a short-term bath with the same weak manganese solution.
Many doctors recommend during the period of the disease to provide the baby with a special diet, consisting mainly of dairy and plant products, plentiful and frequent drinking. At elevated temperatures, antipyretic drugs containing paracetamol, which also have an anti-inflammatory effect, will not interfere. But all these measures must be agreed with the doctor, who will determine the need for such treatment and the correct dosage of drugs.