Written by Editorial Team
Children tend to fall sick often and one of the most common childhood illnesses is chickenpox. At some point in his or her childhood an individual is infected by chickenpox. Even though chickenpox is not unheard of and is easily curable, one must take certain precautions when affected by chickenpox or else it might cause some serious damage.
Chickenpox is a contagious infection caused by Varicella- Zoster virus. It could affect both children and adults. Children below the age of 12 are more prone to chickenpox. In children the level of infection is usually mild. Children with weaker immune system could easily catch this infection.
Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease. It can be carried by person to person through coughing, sneezing etc. It can also be contracted when you come in contact with a person who has shingles (which is a delayed reaction of chickenpox).
chickenpox usually happens only once during a lifetime. The infection produces antibodies in your body that help you fight another attack of chickenpox.
chickenpox in children usually starts with fever aches and pain, though rashes and bumps are a sure shot symptom of chickenpox. Red itchy rashes start appearing on the child’s body with a lot of irritation and it is considered as a first sign of being infected with chickenpox. After a day or so if the same rashes start forming blisters with fluid which then begin to break and leak. Crusts start forming and this takes even more days to heal.
Some children even lose their appetite. After these symptoms appear, in a couple of days rashes show up. These rashes are initially red and may soon take form of tiny blisters. They will rapidly spread throughout the body. The number of blisters varies from person to person. Some kids may only get a few while other may get many. These rashes and blisters are very itchy make children irritable. More or less, chickenpox lasts for 5 to 10 days, though new bumps continue to appear for several more days.
Unborn babies that contract chickenpox from their mothers can be born with deformities like damaged limbs, eyes and brain. Adults and children with weaker immune systems face even more risks. Chickenpox can cause pneumonia as well. Chickenpox blisters if not taken care off can turn into permanent scars or may cause Necrotizing Fasciitis which is a dangerous skin disease.
Since Chickenpox is highly contagious, make sure your child doesn’t play with kids who are suffering with chickenpox. The best precaution however is vaccination (varicella vaccine). Vaccination significantly reduces the chances of contracting chickenpox and even of a vaccinated child gets chickenpox, it is milder and recovery is also quicker. However, if your child has a weak immune system and catches the chickenpox infection, which is in the initial stage, you must take him to the doctor immediately. The doctor will administer a special type of vaccine that will prevent the disease from spreading.
The virus will take its course to subside, however, some home remedies can make your child feel slightly better:
Pregnant women can contract chickenpox very easily. So, when pregnant, avoid visiting those who have chickenpox. If you have had chickenpox before it is unlikely that you will contract it again, neither will it affect the child in any way. If you are planning to get pregnant and have never contracted chickenpox before, consult your doctor and get vaccinated.
chickenpox can cause severe problems to the unborn baby so it is better to be safe than sorry.
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