Chickenpox in children: symptoms, duration and treatment
What are chicken pox?
Chicken pox, also known as varicella, is a viral infectious disease that is extremely easily transmitted by secretions of the respiratory tract or the fluid of blistered skin changes, so it most often affects several children in the same group (kindergarten groups or school classes). The first signs of the disease appear 10 to 20 days, and most often around 14, after contact with a sick person.
What does chicken pox look like?
Typical skin changes in chicken pox are small pinkish-red papules that turn into blisters within 24 hours, after which they dry up and become scabs in a few days and eventually fall off on their own.
Such a rash breaks out in waves over 4 to 5 days, in each wave new papules appear that later go through all the previously mentioned stages and may or may not be accompanied by an elevated body temperature, which, if it occurs, usually returns to normal when the rash stops breaking out. Skin changes first appear on the trunk, where they are usually the densest, and then spread to the neck, face, scalp, arms and legs. It should also be noted that the mucous membranes of the eye, ear, mouth and genitals can also be affected.
When all the blisters become scabs, usually around the 10th day after the onset of the disease, the child is no longer contagious and can usually return to the collective after 2 weeks. No scars remain on the skin, except for more heavily infected scabs or those that the child persistently peeled mechanically.
What are the complications of chicken pox?
Complications of chicken pox are not common and the disease usually goes through the previously described clinical course. If they occur, the most common complication is purulent, bacterial inflammation of the skin, the entry point of which is “scratched” blisters. Serious complications of the disease – viral pneumonia or inflammation of the brain and meninges (children with weakened immunity or those suffering from malignant diseases are at greater risk) are much less common.
Signs of the disease that may indicate complications and should be reported to the doctor immediately:
scabs or blisters that, along with the underlying skin, look pus-filled, extremely red, or the rash appears bloody
a rash that occurs in the eye area
fever, especially of 40°C body temperature and above, which drops after the use of medicine
severe cough, heavy breathing and wheezing
drowsiness, weakness and lethargy, frequent vomiting, severe headache in an older child (especially if it does not respond to the use of analgesics), dizziness or dizziness when walking
How to treat chicken pox in children?
Symptomatic therapy is primarily carried out. We lower the elevated body temperature with paracetamol and ibuprofen in the recommended doses. Itching can be alleviated by coating or spraying the skin changes with preparations available in pharmacies, showering with water or possibly rinsing with a mild solution of hypermanganese while drying the skin with a soft towel by gently patting without rubbing. An antihistamine prescribed by the doctor can also help. To prevent further infection of the rash, it is important to trim the child’s nails, regularly wash his hands with antibacterial soap, and in case of pronounced itching of a small child, cotton gloves can be put on him.
Drug therapy, such as acyclovir, is reserved for the treatment of the disease in children with a weakened immune system or who suffer from other chronic diseases, as well as in more severe forms of chickenpox and complications.
Should the child be vaccinated against chicken pox?
There is an effective vaccine against chicken pox that is not included in the mandatory vaccination schedule, and it can be used in children older than 12 months. Once vaccinated, the child usually does not get chickenpox, and if it does, it usually has a very mild form with an extremely low risk of developing complications. The same effect can be achieved by administering the vaccine to unvaccinated children even up to 5 days after contact with a sick person. It is also recommended to vaccinate adults who have not recovered from chicken pox, since their risk of developing a more severe form of the disease is higher, especially women of reproductive age who are planning to become pregnant, as the virus can cause more severe damage to the fetus.
When not to vaccinate a child?
Children who previously had an allergic reaction to gelatine or neomycin (traces of which can be found in the vaccine) or to a previous dose of chickenpox vaccine. Also, given that the vaccine contains a live, inactivated virus, it should not be used during pregnancy or 3 months before pregnancy and in children with a weakened immune system.
