Chicken pox in a 6 year old child. Chickenpox in children: what you need to know

How chickenpox begins in children - the first signs and symptoms in the initial stage (photo)

In addition, a large percentage of the incidence of chickenpox in children is due to the fact that the latent period of the disease is 14-21 days, due to which the virus has time to spread and cover all children in the group or kindergarten. The chickenpox virus ceases to act until the last rash ends, that is, the virus stops being transmitted when the last blisters begin to heal.

How can you get infected?

The virus is transmitted from person to person by airborne droplets. Chickenpox penetrates through the mucous membranes of the mouth, respiratory tract, and eyes deep into the body.

The chickenpox virus is very persistent and spreads quickly. He has the ability to penetrate even into other rooms and neighboring apartments. This is why children in groups become infected with chickenpox so easily. Just one child in a group who becomes infected with chickenpox immediately becomes dangerous for the children of the entire institution.

Chickenpox incubation period

Chickenpox does not manifest itself in any way during the incubation period, that is, the first 7–21 days. Children remain active, cheerful, cheerful, no different from their healthy peers. However, as soon as the incubation period expires, the child’s first symptoms suddenly begin to appear. And then, chickenpox, its symptoms, leave no doubt in the parents’ minds that the child has chickenpox and not some other disease.

First signs

How does chickenpox start in children? First of all, the child develops:

• high temperature (up to 39.5°C),
• feverish reaction;
• moderate intensity headache;
• pain in the abdominal area (not always);
• general malaise;
• signs of intoxication (possible nausea and vomiting);

The first signs of chickenpox in children, as a rule, are indistinguishable from “normal” ARVI. The main symptom of chickenpox is a characteristic rash (first small pink spots, and then blisters with clear liquid).

Symptoms and signs of chickenpox in children

Basically, chickenpox is characterized by a typical, uniform course in all children, with rare exceptions, so the following main symptoms of this disease in the initial stage can be identified (see photo):

1. Sudden onset of the disease with the development of intoxication and a sharp increase in temperature.
2. Almost simultaneous appearance on the skin, sometimes on the mucous membranes, of typical vesicular elements.
3. An undulating course of the disease process with periodic additions of papulovesicles.
4. Increase in body temperature with each new wave of rash.
5. The formation of crusts on the surface of the bubbles, which subsequently do not leave any scars after recovery.

All stages of chickenpox in children follow each other sequentially and are characterized by certain typical symptoms.

1. The initial stage of chickenpox and the child is the incubation period, which covers the time from the penetration of varicella-zoster into the baby’s body until the immediate manifestation of the first clinical symptoms. Its duration is considered to be from a minimum of 5 to a maximum of 21 days, however, on average it can last about 2 weeks. At this time, varicella-zoster actively multiplies and also accumulates in the mucous membranes of the oropharynx and nasal cavity, and is then able to overcome all protective barriers and penetrate the blood. At this moment, the very first sign of chickenpox in children develops: the appearance of a rash on the body, accompanied by a high temperature.
2. The stage accompanied by the symptoms described above is called the initial stage, but sometimes it is preceded by a so-called prodromal period, during which a rise in temperature, headaches, weakness, and lethargy are recorded. The temperature with chickenpox in children sometimes reaches 40°C and above.
3. As a result of the penetration of the chickenpox virus into the skin, local swelling is formed and a period of rash occurs, which can last from just 2 days to 7 days or even more. It is characterized by the initial formation of a red spot, which quickly takes the form of a papule, then transforms into a vesicle, which subsequently becomes covered with a crust. Most often, the patient’s torso is first affected by the elements of the rash, then the arms, legs, and only after that they can be detected on the face and scalp. This process is also characterized by very disturbing itching, which causes serious discomfort. Along with the formation of a rash, an increase in lymph nodes is observed, as well as the manifestation of symptoms of intoxication of the body.
4. The last stage of chickenpox in children is characterized by normalization of body temperature, falling off of crusts, and improvement of the patient’s well-being. At the site of the former pathological element, covered with a crust, brownish pigmentation remains at first, however, over time it disappears. The skin after chickenpox in children, in the absence of constant scratching of itchy elements, with careful treatment and prevention of infection, remains healthy and clean. The average duration from the moment the first signs appear until the skin is completely cleared of crusts is about 3 weeks.

Chickenpox occurs extremely rarely in infants under 6 months of age, since the child is protected by antibodies received from the mother. If the disease is registered in a child under one year old, it proceeds quite easily. The temperature with chickenpox in children of this age is usually low, the period of rash is short, and the intoxication syndrome is practically not expressed. However, this applies to children born to mothers who had chickenpox as children. Otherwise, chickenpox in children under one year of age lasts quite a long time and is severe.

What does chickenpox look like in children: photo

We present to you a photo of chickenpox in children, both infants and older children. A chickenpox rash in the initial stage can appear on any part of the body, even on mucous membranes. The intensity of the rash, as you can see in the photo, can also vary.

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Severity

Depending on the characteristics of its course in children, chickenpox is divided into three forms:

Chickenpox in infants

It must be remembered that any child over the age of six months can get chickenpox. In most cases, the course of the disease in infants is quite complex: such young children do not tolerate symptoms well, cannot complain and cannot take advice. As a result, they need more careful care and constant attention from the mother.

Chickenpox in newborns is characterized by the same symptoms, but in young children, chickenpox, which occurs in a particularly complex form, can cause serious harm to the body, affecting the development of internal organs. Treatment of chickenpox in infants should be carried out under the strict supervision of a qualified pediatrician.

You should try to ensure that the child does not tear off the scabs from drying out rashes, because This will only make it more itchy and increase the risk of re-infection. The child's hands need to be washed more often, since the causative virus may be present on the skin and under the nails. Nails should be cut short. It is recommended that your baby wear cotton gloves at night.

How to treat chickenpox in a child?

Since chickenpox is caused by a virus, it is useless to treat the disease with antibiotics. The doctor may prescribe antibacterial drugs in cases where the course of chickenpox is complicated by the addition of a secondary bacterial infection.

There is no specific treatment against this infection, but necessary measures aimed at alleviating the patient’s condition must be taken. If a child gets chickenpox, the parents' task will be to minimize unpleasant symptoms and alleviate the baby's condition. To do this, at home, you must fulfill the basic conditions necessary for a speedy recovery:

1. Observance of strict bed rest;
2. Frequent change of underwear and bed linen;
3. Increased drinking regimen to reduce intoxication;
4. Light dairy-vegetable diet.

At the first unfavorable symptoms, you should call a doctor at home, who will give the necessary advice on care and prescribe medications to alleviate the child’s condition. The most important point of treatment during the active phase is the elimination of severe itching. When a rash appears, the skin itches and itches, and parents need to ensure that the baby does not scratch the itchy areas. This will help avoid the addition of a secondary bacterial infection.

1. Blisters on the body should be treated several times a day with antiseptic solutions (green or colorless Castellani liquid). This will help prevent the infection from spreading further throughout the body and reduce the number of rashes. This treatment helps dry out the blisters and form a crust, speeding up recovery.
2. To eliminate itching, the doctor may prescribe antihistamines (Suprastin, Diazolin, Diphenhydramine). These drugs effectively eliminate itching and have a mild calming and sedative effect, which will help cope with sleep disorders. The attending physician will select the required dose and dosage regimen.
3. If a child has a high temperature, the doctor will prescribe antipyretics (Paracetamol, Nurofen, Efferalgan). It is not advisable to give aspirin to children under 10 years of age.

Drinking plenty of fluids (lemon tea, compotes, juices, green and herbal tea) will help you recover quickly; the liquid will remove toxins from the body. During illness, the child loses his appetite, but it is necessary to maintain his strength. A dairy-vegetable diet will help with this, providing the body with the necessary vitamins and nutrients.

Severe forms of chickenpox affecting internal organs are treated in a hospital. Complex therapy necessarily includes antiherpetic drugs (Zovirx, Acyclovir); immunoglobulin and interferon are used to treat the condition.

What to apply to chickenpox other than brilliant green?

You can smear chickenpox ulcers not only with the usual brilliant green. Doctors advise using antiseptics for this - for example, zinc ointment. The main thing is to do it very carefully. This ointment promotes wound healing, relieves itching, disinfects the skin and slightly dries out sores.

You can also use:

• fukortsin,
• fenistil,
• infagel,
• furatsilin
• manganese solution.

Folk remedies

There are various ways to get rid of itching due to chickenpox and in traditional medicine:

1. At high temperatures, it is advisable to drink cranberry juice, viburnum drink, rosehip infusion, and sea buckthorn tea. Strawberry juice saturates the body well with nutrients and has a pronounced antimicrobial effect.
2. Bath with chamomile. 5 tbsp. Pour a tablespoon of inflorescences (dry or fresh) into a liter of hot water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for a quarter of an hour, strain. Add the decoction to the filled bath. The procedure takes 10 minutes, perform twice a day.
3. Tea tree oil. The only essential oil allowed for direct application to the skin, without conductive oil. If you treat all elements of the rash with tea tree oil using a cotton swab, this will significantly relieve itching and scabies. This procedure promotes disinfection and speedy healing of wounds.
4. Mix equally chamomile flowers, coltsfoot grass, chicory grass, calendula flowers, burdock root and immortelle flowers. Brew the prepared mixture with a dose of 40 g with half a liter of boiling water. Let it brew in a thermos for 8 hours. Take 4 times a day, a third of a glass.
5. Grind the calendula herb. Heat 60 g of calendula, previously brewed in a liter of water. Pour the strained broth into the bath and bathe the patient for a quarter of an hour in the morning and evening. Do not rub the skin.

How many days does quarantine last for chickenpox?

Doctors have given an opinion on the contagiousness of the disease: from 4 to 13 days. Therefore, epidemiologists, if it is necessary to announce quarantine measures, close educational institutions for 14 days. During this period, the child cannot be allowed into kindergarten or school.

The first 5-10 days are dangerous for others during this period. You can focus on the appearance of the rash - while it is present on the body, the virus is in active form. During this period, it is very important to limit the patient’s contact with healthy people.

Is it possible to swim if you have chickenpox?

Contrary to popular misconceptions, you can and should swim when you have chicken rash. The main thing is to take a warm bath; the water should not be hot or cold. The baby should also walk in the fresh air, but avoid contact with other children. In such conditions, treatment will be more effective, and the patient will be able to avoid complications and other severe consequences of chickenpox.

How many days does a child have fever with chickenpox?

Very often, the temperature for this disease rises during the prodromal period - when preliminary symptoms appear. The increase in temperature may not be very critical - up to about 38 degrees, sometimes with a feeling of nausea and even vomiting.

The temperature may rise and fall slightly throughout the course of the disease - with each new rash on the baby's skin. During such periods, it is necessary for the baby to drink enough fluids, rest and get a good night's sleep. It is not recommended to reduce the temperature with antipyretic drugs if it has not reached high values.

It is strictly forbidden to give aspirin to your child. However, timely prevention will help avoid complications, and even infection with chickenpox itself. The main thing is to do everything in a timely manner and completely isolate the baby from contact with patients.

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The most common question that concerned parents ask their favorite doctor concerns the effects of brilliant green in children with chickenpox. Evgeniy Komarovsky’s answer is unequivocal - there is no therapeutic effect from such an action, brilliant green serves only as an indicator of the period of contagiousness. Lubricating the blisters with a colored solution every day, one day mommy notices that there are no new rashes. From this moment the countdown begins for the last five days, when the baby can pose a danger to others.

The doctor draws the attention of parents to the fact that the viral infection, which is chickenpox in children, is not susceptible to antibiotics and does not require special medications during the normal course of the disease. Only in adolescence, when the disease is too severe, do doctors prescribe antiherpetic drugs.

The main advice that Dr. Komarovsky gives for mothers of sick children:

• avoid overheating, which increases itching;
• cut your nails short, wear gloves if necessary, and do your best to distract the baby from combing the bubbles;
• do not give aspirin so as not to cause liver complications;
• scratching the blisters leads to bacterial infection and the likelihood of marks for life;
• chickenpox quite strongly suppresses the immune system, so after suffering from the disease you should refrain from visiting kindergarten and devote more time to walks.

Regarding vaccinations, Komarovsky believes, sensible parents should not have any discussions. However, he reminds that vaccination against chickenpox is voluntary, so mothers and fathers will have to take responsibility for its implementation.

Possible complications

Fortunately, most children recover well from chickenpox. However, in some categories of patients the disease may have unfavorable outcomes, such as:

1. Hepatitis;
2. Pathology of the structures of the eyeball (keratitis);
3. Encephalitis. This pathology is manifested by severe damage to the central nervous system, manifested by seizures. This is due to the high tropism of the virus to nervous tissue. In most cases, this complication is detected in patients on days 7-12 of the disease. A persistent disorder of higher nervous activity in the form of idiocy occurs relatively rarely;
4. Pustular skin lesions: phlegmon, abscesses or boils. They are the result of penetration of pathological microorganisms into the liquid inside the vesicle, which, upon contact with neutrophils, can form pus;
5. Pneumonia. Most often diagnosed in adults. A feature of chickenpox pneumonia is the extreme paucity of clinical symptoms. The diagnosis can only be made by x-ray, and the image reveals small inflammatory foci throughout almost the entire length of the lung tissue;
6. Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. It is manifested by dullness of heart sounds, pain in the heart area, as well as changes in the cardiogram;
7. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease that most often occurs on the 10th-12th day of illness. In most cases, this pathology goes away on its own and does not require any specific therapy.

However, chickenpox can still serve as a reason for the appearance of another disease, not as a complication. As you already know, chickenpox is a type of herpes virus, therefore the virus remaining in the body is inactive and occurs in a latent state. However, as a result of repeated exposure to the chickenpox virus and a number of associated factors, it can lead to the occurrence of a disease such as herpes zoster.

Prevention of chickenpox

The only effective measure to prevent chickenpox is vaccination. It is advisable to carry it out to women who have not had chickenpox and are planning a pregnancy, infants who have older brothers and sisters, children and adults with a defective immune system, and elderly people.

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Is it worth getting vaccinated?

Doctors began vaccinating children against chickenpox relatively recently. The composition of the vaccine is represented by live, but weakened pathogens. The first vaccination is usually given at 12–14 months. The chickenpox vaccine is re-administered after 3 to 5 years. Adolescents and adults who do not have natural immunity are vaccinated twice, with an interval of 1 month or more between injections.

Young children tolerate chickenpox vaccinations well, and pediatricians do not record any adverse reactions. However, if the child is part of a group of frequently ill children, it is necessary to consult with the local pediatrician about the advisability of vaccination. A weakened body may react to vaccination with unpredictable phenomena.

Chickenpox is a disease caused by the activity of the herpes simplex virus Varicella Zoster (herpes type 3). Occurs in mild, moderate and severe forms. Characteristic symptoms are fever and rash. It is considered a typical childhood infection, although. Doctors say that it is better to get chickenpox in childhood, since at this age the disease is much easier and after recovery, stable, lifelong immunity is developed.

All therapeutic measures taken are aimed only at alleviating the patient’s condition and preventing complications. Next, we will consider how chickenpox begins and progresses, what the incubation period is, as well as the first symptoms and methods of treating the disease in children.

What is chickenpox?

Chickenpox in children is an infection that is caused by a certain type of herpes, namely varicella-zoster. More than one and a half million people get chickenpox every year, 90% of whom are children under twelve years of age. Most often, little fidgets “catch” a viral infection in children's institutions - if at least one carrier of VZV appears in the acute stage, it is extremely difficult to avoid infection.

On average, the incubation period is from 10 to 21 days - this is the time from the moment of contact with the mucous membrane to the first symptoms. The chickenpox virus is characterized by extraordinary volatility, it is carried by air currents and wind (but still does not fly into the window), which is why it is called “chickenpox”. You can become infected from a human carrier not only at arm's length, but also within a radius of 50 meters.

Another interesting fact is that the pathogen can live exclusively in the human body. Outside of it, he dies within 5-10 minutes.

Causes

Chickenpox is caused by a virus of the herpes family. The population's susceptibility to this virus is very high, so 70-90% of people manage to contract the disease in childhood or adolescence. As a rule, a child picks up an infection in kindergarten or school. The source of the disease is an infected person in the last 10 days of the incubation period of the virus and the first 5-7 days from the moment the rash appears.

It is believed that chicken pox is the only viral disease that remains the most common infectious disease in children to this day.

The virus is not adapted to the external environment and dies almost immediately as soon as it leaves the human body. The source of infection will only be the person whose disease is active; it begins two days before the first signs of chickenpox appear in a child.

Infants are also seriously ill and only in very rare cases:

• with intrauterine infection (the mother falls ill in the last week of pregnancy);
• in the absence of breastfeeding and, accordingly, the mother’s protective antibodies;
• in severe immunodeficiency conditions (including cancer and AIDS).

How does chickenpox begin: the first signs

All parents should know how chickenpox begins in children. This way they can start treatment as quickly as possible and prevent the development of complications.

1. First, the virus enters the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and respiratory tract, then actively multiplies in the epithelial cells, and this is how the latent period of the disease proceeds. The latent, initial period of the disease is called incubation. This means that the person will look healthy, but the infection is already spreading throughout the body.
2. The onset of chickenpox occurs like a banal acute respiratory infection, with typical symptoms: elevated body temperature, weakness, chills, drowsiness, headaches, children become more capricious and lethargic.
3. Then the virus enters the lymph and blood vessels, accumulates there, spreads throughout the body, which causes characteristic symptoms - fever, and then rashes.
4. Next, a rash forms on the body. Initially, it looks like small, individually scattered red spots of different sizes (see photo of chickenpox below).

As a rule, the first morphological elements on the skin appear in the head area (its scalp), as well as on the back. Subsequently, rashes can be found not only on any part of the skin, but also on the mucous membranes of the mouth or eyes. The skin of the feet and palms is never affected by the pathological process.

Literally a few hours after the first rash appears, the spots turn into small bubbles filled with liquid. Along with the appearance of the blisters, their unbearable itching begins, and the child begins to scratch the rash.

The chickenpox rash does not appear immediately; its elements may appear on the skin within about a week. Thus, children will have skin rashes in three different stages.

When a rash appears, the skin itches and itches, and parents need to ensure that the baby does not scratch the itchy areas. This will help avoid the addition of a secondary bacterial infection.

Incubation period

How many days is chickenpox contagious? Within 1-3 weeks, this is how long the incubation period lasts, the chickenpox pathogen does not bother the child and does not manifest itself in any way. Considering the “volatility” of the virus, which easily spreads over a distance of twenty meters, it is possible to become infected even through ventilation openings.

The most contagious disease is considered to be in the active phase, which begins 2 days before the appearance of the first characteristic rash. The disease enters the inactive phase five days after the last blisters appear on the body.

At this time, the virus stops spreading, the rashes dry out and heal, and the child recovers. Treatment of chickenpox must take place under quarantine conditions; the child is isolated from other children for the entire duration of the illness.

During the entire incubation period, a child infected with chickenpox may look absolutely active and healthy. However, even without any external signs of the disease, he already poses a threat to others.

What does chickenpox look like (photo)

In order not to make a mistake with the diagnosis, not to miss the first appearing symptoms, it is very important to know what an unpleasant disease looks like. In children, chickenpox first appears outwardly as reddish spots on the surface of the skin, which then form small blisters filled with liquid (see photo).

The rashes that occur during chickenpox have the following characteristic features:

• their appearance resembles transparent drops;
• the lower part is surrounded by a scarlet rim, often swollen;
• fresh rashes coexist on the skin with already dried brown crusts.

Skin rashes appear constantly, one wave follows another. The period of appearance of new rashes can last up to 9 days (usually 3-5 days). The child remains contagious for another 5 days after the last rash appears.

For babies under 6 months of age, whose mothers had chickenpox in childhood, the virus, as a rule, does not pose a danger, since antibodies to it, betrayed by the mother through the placenta, still remain in their blood. After suffering from chickenpox 97% of people develop lifelong immunity, so re-infection is rare.

Symptoms of chickenpox in children

The period of rash lasts from 4 to 8 days, after which recovery begins. The yellow-brown crusts that appear in place of the bubbles disappear after about a week, leaving no trace. But this is only if the mother helped the baby survive a period of severe itching - she prevented scratching and infection from getting into the wound.

Premature tearing of the cortical layer can lead to the appearance of a “pockmark” that can remain for life.

Among the main symptoms of chickenpox are the following:

• Sharply increasing body temperature (up to 40 degrees C);
• Pain in the head, limbs and muscles;
• Irritability, tearfulness of the baby, severe weakness and apathy;
• Unreasonable anxiety, sleep disturbances;
• Decreased appetite and even refusal to eat;
• The appearance of characteristic rashes of spots and blisters on the entire surface of the body, which do not affect only the surfaces of the palms and soles.

These signs appear 1-2 days before the rash appears on the child’s body. He may lose his appetite and be in a bad mood. Sometimes this period is absent, and parents simply notice a rash on the skin.

All stages of chickenpox in children follow each other sequentially and are characterized by certain typical symptoms.

Itching is the most unpleasant sign of chickenpox. During the period of formation, opening, and growth of blisters, the body itches, children suffer from unbearable itching. It’s difficult to explain to a one-year-old baby why he shouldn’t comb or pick off dried crusts.

A vicious circle appears:

• the patient is actively itching;
• serous fluid pours out;
• the virus spreads to new areas;
• further infection occurs;
• Sometimes there are 100 or more itchy blisters on the body.

Take note:

• It is important to relieve the itching, otherwise the child will definitely scratch the scabs. If the surface has not yet completely dried, a deep scar will form at the site of the bubble;
• Gradually (not in one year), many of the depressions resolve, but some of the holes remain for life.

Forms of the disease

Complications

With proper treatment and personal hygiene, complications from chickenpox in children are rare. Dangerous complications sometimes occur with certain medications. For example, it is strictly forbidden to give aspirin to children, as this can lead to dangerous liver damage (Reye's syndrome). You cannot combine chickenpox and taking hormonal and glucocorticosteroid drugs.

Among the most dangerous consequences are:

• Viral encephalitis (brain inflammation);
• Herpes zoster is a severe chronic disease caused by the same virus, but appears extremely rarely in weakened patients;
• Neurological consequences of viral damage occur during early intrauterine infection, during organogenesis, when the mother falls ill in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Parents must be very careful and do not let your baby scratch the rash, because the wounds can easily become infected.

Diagnostics

To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor may write a referral for laboratory tests for chickenpox:

• Light microscopy of elements with silvering of reagents.
• Serological blood test to identify the viral agent and determine the activity of antibodies to the pathogen.

Be sure to consult a doctor if:

• The child has eczema, asthma, or a weakened immune system;
• Fever lasts more than 6 days or exceeds 39 degrees.
• Any large areas appear red, swollen, and draining of pus.
• The child has a severe cough, vomiting, headache, drowsiness, confusion, stiff neck, photophobia, or difficulty walking or breathing.

How to treat chickenpox in children

Treatment of chickenpox in children takes place at home; only if any complications arise, the doctor may suggest hospitalization. Parents should help the child cope with the unpleasant condition and alleviate suffering from an itchy rash.

First of all, to prevent possible complications, it is necessary to adhere to strict bed rest throughout the entire febrile period. If a child has lesions of the oral mucosa, then he needs to adhere to a gentle diet, avoiding salty foods, citrus fruits and other foods that irritate the oral cavity.

Standard therapy is the prescription of antihistamines to relieve itching, antipyretic drugs and antiseptics (usually aniline dyes).

• To reduce a high temperature reaction, antipyretic drugs are recommended in appropriate doses, except for Aspirin;
• To relieve severe itching, you can ask your pediatrician to prescribe an antihistamine. To alleviate and relieve the symptoms of itching, antihistamines are prescribed, for example, Suprastin, Fenistil drops, Zodak, and others;
• If the elements of the rash are localized in the oral cavity, it is recommended to gargle with Furacillin solution several times during the day and always after meals;
• If the eyes are affected, a special eye ointment, Acyclovir, is placed behind the eyelids.

Prohibited: amidopyrine, aspirin ( extremely dangerous for children with chickenpox).

Antibiotic therapy is used exclusively in cases of bacterial infection, which usually occurs due to scratching of the vesicles. Therefore, in order to avoid complications, constant monitoring of the child’s behavior is necessary; it is best for children to wear light gloves. Overheating should be avoided as sweating increases itching.

To prevent infection of the vesicles, the following antiseptic disinfectants are used:

• 1% alcohol solution of brilliant green (zelenka);
• Castellani liquid;
• aqueous solution of fucorcin;
• aqueous solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).

When treating elements of a rash with brilliant green, despite all its disadvantages, you can easily and quickly determine when new rashes will stop appearing.

General care for children with chickenpox

1. Nutrition should be complete and contain increased amounts of proteins and vitamins. It is best to give preference to easily digestible foods (dairy-vegetable diet). If the oral mucosa is affected, spicy and sour foods should be avoided.
2. An important condition necessary for compliance with the treatment of chickenpox in children is providing the patient with plenty of fluids. Most complications arise from dehydration; the disease can affect the nervous system. Drinking plenty of fluids will help remove viral breakdown products and toxins. You need to drink boiled water, mineral water without gas, unsweetened compotes, weak teas, herbal decoctions. Dilute freshly squeezed juices by half with water.
3. Chickenpox can be treated with folk remedies. It is advisable to give your child fresh blueberries or blueberry juice. The active substances of the fruits of this plant have antiviral properties. It is also recommended to give children an infusion of a mixture of linden blossom, raspberries, willow bark and anise (brew at the rate of 300 ml of water per 1 tablespoon of the mixture).

Is it possible to bathe a child with chickenpox?

There have been heated discussions on this issue for many years. Now most pediatricians believe that water procedures are permitted subject to certain conditions:

• Swimming with chickenpox is allowed only in the absence of ulcerative-necrotic changes in the elements of the rash– to put it simply, in the absence of wounds into which bacteria can easily penetrate.
• You can bathe from the second or third day of the disease.
• The water temperature should not be high - 38-40 degrees. This will prevent the crusts formed after scratching at the site of the rash from getting wet.
• Do not wash your child with regular bathing products (soaps, shower gels, shampoos).
• Long-term water procedures should be avoided. Frequent (about 5-6 times a day) short (one to three minutes) showers with low pressure are recommended.
• Don't use a washcloth to avoid picking off pimples and subsequent formation of scars on damaged areas of the skin.
• After taking a bath, you should not dry yourself with a towel. Better body wet yourself carefully with the softest towel to avoid damage to inflamed skin.
• Swimming with chickenpox not recommended in the first two days when the disease progresses and its main symptom is a constant elevated body temperature.
• At the end of the water procedures, the child’s body in areas of rashes should be treat with brilliant green.

If the parents decide not to wash the child for the entire period of the rash, then the first bath should be carried out as carefully as possible to disinfect the healing vesicles. To do this, doctors advise preparing a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The color of the solution is pale pink; a brighter shade will create a strong effect on the skin and can lead to burns.

Is it possible to walk if you have chickenpox?

While the child complains of weakness, new pimples appear, he has a fever, walking is strictly forbidden, as the virus is actively spreading. At this time, all the strength of the immune system is used to fight chickenpox, so the likelihood of contracting another disease increases greatly, which will be quite difficult.

If the baby does not have a fever or new rashes, and the weather is very good outside, then there are no contraindications for a walk. The only thing you need to take into account is that the child may still be contagious and walking in public places (parks, playgrounds) is unethical. If you live in a private house, then a small amount of fresh air definitely won’t hurt.

If on the way to the exit with a patient in the active phase of the disease you need to go through the entrance, it is better to abandon the idea of ​​​​taking a walk so as not to infect your neighbors.

Prevention

The only effective measure to prevent chickenpox is vaccination. It is advisable to carry it out to women who have not had chickenpox and are planning a pregnancy, infants who have older brothers and sisters, children and adults with a defective immune system, and elderly people.

The only way to guarantee protection from the chickenpox virus is by vaccination - the introduction of a weakened virus into the body. This is the main method of preventing the disease. It is difficult to protect yourself from airborne infection in any other way. The best way to combat chickenpox is a stable immune system.

You should also always remember about personal protective measures if one of your family members gets chickenpox:

• Mandatory isolation of the patient in a separate room;
• Allocation of individual dishes and towels for the patient, the cleanliness of which also needs to be monitored separately;
• Mandatory daily ventilation of the room in which there is a patient with chickenpox;
• Wearing a mask or gauze bandage when in contact with an infected person.

In children, repeated chickenpox is an exceptional case, because immunity after the disease remains for life. But this is true for those kids whose protective system is strengthened and functioning properly.

When a baby arrives in the family, all parents experience happiness. Not without reason, since “new love” has appeared in life. But when a baby gets sick, we can experience different emotions and, as a rule, they are not positive. However, if your child has contracted the chickenpox virus, you should rejoice rather than grieve. How to recognize chickenpox, the first signs, how chickenpox begins in children, how to identify chickenpox in a child, the symptoms of which are not entirely characteristic of this disease, and much more, you will learn from this useful article.

After infection, the disease occurs secretly in the child’s body and does not manifest itself in any way. The period of time for the latent form of chickenpox in children is on average 7-21 days. This directly depends on the immune system: the faster the immune system detects the virus in the body, the faster the reaction will be.

And so, your baby is sick. The very first signs of infection in a one-year-old baby or at 2 years old, as well as in children 4 years old, 5 years old or 10 years old, are approximately the same. The only difference is that a child at 3 or 4 years old will certainly tell you about his unwell health.

Photo of how chickenpox begins in children. As a rule, the disease begins with fever, chills, headache, enlarged lymph nodes (often behind the ears) and general weakness. If you look at it, the main symptom of infection is fever. The appearance of fever during chickenpox indicates intoxication of the body by the virus and this is a natural reaction of the immune system to the pathogen. Other manifestations - chills, fever, weakness, etc. - are a consequence of increased temperature. It can be argued that the symptoms of chickenpox in children are quite vague, and it is virtually impossible to diagnose this disease only by the symptomatic manifestations of the infection. And only some time after the first symptoms appear (2-5 days), a characteristic rash appears on the patient’s body, which is the main sign of the disease.

Where does chickenpox start in children?

It is difficult to say from where the rash begins to spread. Most often, the spread of the rash begins from the head and face, but there are cases when the rash initially affects the arms or stomach... the virus does not matter. How does the rash appear? First, reddish spots appear, no more than 1 centimeter in diameter, in small quantities, which after a few hours change and turn into bubbles with a clear liquid, affecting most of the patient’s skin. Chickenpox rashes are accompanied by severe itching, which causes serious discomfort to the child. Signs of the initial stage of chickenpox in children with photos.

There are cases when fever appears as a result of rashes on the body, although this is not typical. However, with profuse rashes on the child’s skin, the temperature often increases.

After about 1-2 days, pimples or papules begin to dry out and crust over on their own; new ones appear after a day or two. Within 7-14 days, the crusts peel off and fall off, leaving pinkish spots that disappear after a while, leaving no traces.

It is worth adding that rashes with chickenpox in a child can appear not only on the body, but also on the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose and throat. In this case, the child experiences pain in the area affected by the rash and discomfort. As a result, refusal to eat is possible.

The patient's infectiousness does not appear immediately. It is generally accepted that a child becomes contagious a day or two before the first signs of a rash appear and continues to be contagious until the last papules appear on the body. 5-7 days after the last elements of the rash appear, the baby is no longer considered contagious.

Signs of chickenpox in children, as well as symptoms, can have varying degrees of severity. In some children, the rash may be minor and practically not itch, and the temperature does not rise above 37.5 degrees. In other cases, the rashes are widespread and abundant, there are many foci of the rash, the temperature can reach 39-40 degrees. The rashes are very itchy, sleep and appetite are lost. What is this connected with? The fact is that chickenpox can take 3 forms:

• In mild forms of the disease, the temperature does not exceed 38 degrees, rashes appear in relatively small quantities, itching is present, but does not create much discomfort. The rash lasts no more than 5 days;
• The moderate form of chickenpox is characterized by an increase in temperature above 38 degrees, chills, weakness, muscle and joint pain, profuse rashes, accompanied by severe itching. In childhood, this form of viral infection is rare;
• A severe form of chickenpox is characterized by high fever (39-40 degrees), profuse rashes throughout the body and on the mucous membranes. Nausea, vomiting, muscle spasms and spontaneous twitching of limbs, severe malaise, delirium, lack of coordination, etc. Unfortunately, a severe form of chickenpox is most often observed in children under one year of age. This is explained by the weak immune system of babies, since at this age the child’s body may no longer have the mother’s immunity received from milk, and its own has not yet been developed;

Chickenpox at the age of 3 years or 10 years is often mild and does not cause difficulties in treatment.

Vestigial or atypical chickenpox

Medical practice shows that chickenpox can be asymptomatic, that is, there is no actual manifestation of infection. With this course of the disease, there is a very weak manifestation of symptoms and signs of infection, or their complete absence. As a rule, this phenomenon predominates in children under the age of 1 year, due to the receipt of mother's antibodies (if the mother has previously had chickenpox) along with milk. Also, a similar course of infection is observed in newborns after injection of immunoglobulin.

In addition to such a favorable form, atypical chickenpox is characterized by more severe manifestations:

• Gangrenous form. With this feature of the course of the disease, transformation of the rash is characteristic (the rash increases slightly in size, the liquid in the blisters becomes cloudy). This occurs due to infectious inflammation in the skin epithelium when pathogenic bacteria enter the wound. Most often, the cause of the gangrenous form of chickenpox is scratching or squeezing the rash;
• Hemorrhagic form of atypical chickenpox. Characterized by massive infection of the body by the virus. The liquid in the bubbles is cloudy with an admixture of blood, a very high temperature, it is extremely difficult to churn, skin hemorrhages, nosebleeds, urine with blood, etc. The development of the hemorrhagic form occurs very intensively, which often leads to death. Children under one year of age or children with congenital immunodeficiency are at risk;
• The generalized form of atypical chickenpox is a complete destruction of organs by the virus, which leads to the cessation of important vital functions;

Note that these forms of atypical chickenpox in children are very rare, in case of timely diagnosis and treatment.

Perhaps every parent in our country is familiar with the name of this famous pediatrician. Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky, regarding the symptomatic picture of chickenpox, notes the similarity of its manifestations with acute respiratory diseases. Dr. Komarovsky considers timely diagnosis of the disease to be an important criterion in the fight against chickenpox.

According to Dr. Komarovsky, it would be wise to intentionally infect your child with chickenpox before the age of 12, since children tolerate this disease much more easily than adults. However, today there is an alternative to this “barbaric” method - vaccination against chickenpox. From the point of view of Evgeniy Olegovich, this method of ensuring immunity against the chickenpox virus is more effective and safer than direct contact of a child with a healthy virus.

Diagnostics

Today, it is not difficult to identify this disease, given the characteristic signs of its manifestation. Therefore, any doctor will do this without any problems. However, as we said above, there are atypical cases of chickenpox. In such situations, laboratory methods for diagnosing the disease are used, namely blood tests for specific antibodies of the IgG and IgM classes. This diagnostic method is highly accurate, but at the initial stage of chickenpox the results may be erroneous.

Every Russian citizen, young and old, knows: a child “strewn” with green peas on his skin from head to toe is a “sufferer” suffering from chickenpox. It's funny that green grass is not used for medicinal purposes anywhere else in the world. Why then do we so diligently “paint” our “weathered” children with it? And is there any modern alternative to brilliant green in the treatment of chickenpox in children?

The main and most painful symptom of chickenpox in children is a red, constantly itchy rash, which is somewhat reminiscent of the consequences of insect bites.

Where do you get chickenpox?

Chickenpox (or popularly simply “chickenpox”) is a viral infection caused by a special type 3 herpes virus. It is noteworthy that this is not a simple virus, but with a “twist” - it belongs to the category of so-called “flying viruses” with 100% universal susceptibility.

That is, it is transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person by airborne droplets, but at the same time it can remain “suspended” in the air for a long time and thus spread over fairly long distances - up to several hundred meters in radius from the “source”.

In other words, if your child gets chickenpox, it is not at all necessary that his desk neighbor at school or kindergarten infected him. The virus could well have “flyed” to him from a neighboring house. Thus, it is almost impossible to live to see gray hair and never encounter chickenpox or get sick from it.

Symptoms of chickenpox in children

The main symptoms of chickenpox in children are this, which is somewhat reminiscent of the consequences. The rash often starts on the face, chest and back, but can then spread throughout the body, even ending up in the mouth.

The rash gives way to fluid-filled blisters that eventually rupture into tiny pockmarks. Neither blisters nor already open pockmark ulcers should be scratched (even in response to unbearable itching), otherwise the disease risks protracting and causing serious complications. The number of pockmarks can vary greatly - from 10-20 throughout the body, to several thousand. But usually a child develops about 200-300 “sores” during the entire period of illness.

The main and most telling symptom of chickenpox in children is a red, itchy rash.

Other symptoms of chickenpox in children may begin with the onset of the rash, or may occur as early as 7-8 days of illness:

• headache;
• fever and heat;
• loss of appetite;
• causeless irritability and tearfulness.

About chickenpox and green fungus: why do mothers “paint” their children?

Treating rash blisters that occur with chickenpox with a solution of brilliant green, contrary to popular belief, does not have any medicinal effect. This means that it is only of secondary importance in the treatment of chickenpox in children. Zelenka does not relieve itching, and in no way contributes to the disappearance of the rash. And doctors advise mothers and fathers to smear their children with green paint not at all in order to treat them.

Here's the thing. In the course of numerous studies, doctors have found that a person with chickenpox (including a child of any age) ceases to be infectious 5 days after new lesions of the rash stop appearing on his body.

And as long as new blisters appear on the skin, the disease is still dangerous for others. How can you find out which of the “sores” of the rash is yesterday’s and the day before yesterday’s, and which one appeared this morning? That's why pimples are smeared with brilliant green - they are simply marked! Those that are not painted are those of today.

In the fight against chickenpox, brilliant green is about as effective as colored felt-tip pens - in this case, it does not act as a medicine, but as an excellent marker that allows you to determine in 5 seconds whether there are new, fresh blisters on the skin of a child (or an adult). -rashes.

As soon as there is nothing left to smear - that is, new fresh pockmarks stop appearing - we can assume that the disease is safely in retreat.

Chickenpox in children: how to get by without green stuff?

Zelenka, as is known, is not used anywhere in the world as actively as in domestic pediatrics. Moreover, many Western and European doctors are not even aware of the existence of such a remarkable medicine. How do they determine at what stage a child’s chickenpox is?

It’s quite simple: while there are rash blisters on the baby’s skin that are not covered with a dark crust, the disease is still active. As soon as all foci of the rash are covered with a dry crust (in the vast majority of cases in children this occurs 7-8 days after the first symptom of chickenpox appears), and no new, fresh rash (without crusts) is observed, we can already say that the disease has entered a decline phase and it does not threaten anyone around.

How to treat chickenpox in children

Firstly, it makes sense to warn about how not to treat chickenpox in children. Despite the fact that many parents are guilty of excessive and rather risky love for antibiotics, it will be useful to remind them once again: in the fight against any viruses, antimicrobial (also known as antibacterial) agents are completely useless! And since chickenpox in children is an exclusively viral infection, you don’t even have to think about antibiotics.

There are special medications (the so-called group of antiherpetic drugs based on acyclovir) that help defeat the herpes virus that causes chickenpox.

However, such medications are used extremely rarely in young children.
Firstly, because these drugs themselves are quite “complex”, with possible side effects. And there is usually no special need for their use - if the disease develops without complications, according to its standard scenario, then small children (from about 1 year to 6-7 years old) tolerate chickenpox quite easily and adequately on their own, without drug therapy.

While adults, teenagers, pregnant women and very tiny babies, on the contrary, suffer from chickenpox quite significantly. In the case of these risk groups, the use of drug therapy (i.e., antiherpetic drugs) is justified and often extremely necessary. However, only a doctor has the right to prescribe medications!

For the most part, treatment of chickenpox in children 1-7 years old in the vast majority of cases comes down to monitoring the development and extinction of the skin rash. Using green paint (if you like) or any other markers (even with a ballpoint pen!) you need to mark existing pockmarks and monitor the appearance of new ones.

Once the rash stops appearing, you can begin the five-day countdown. After 5 days, the child will no longer pose a risk of infection.

After this period, you can safely take the child for a walk (fresh air and some physical activity will only contribute to his recovery), but it is still too early for him to go to a nursery, kindergarten or school (as well as to any other “crowded” place).

He himself will no longer be able to infect anyone, but he can easily “catch” some kind of infection from other people - the fact is that chickenpox, alas, significantly reduces immunity for a while. In order for the child to fully recover, he needs about 2-3 more weeks after the illness to remain in relative isolation.

So, the treatment strategy for chickenpox in children is as follows:

1. Monitor the emergence of new pockmarks.
2. Take measures to eliminate itching.
3. Feed moderately, drink heavily.

You can monitor the appearance of pockmarks using markers (green paint, felt-tip pens, or simply by eye). We will tell you in detail below how to relieve itching. And as antipyretic drugs in the treatment of chickenpox in children, only two drugs are usually used: paracetamol or ibuprofen. Both are equally effective in reducing body temperature.

How to reduce itching and burning on the skin in children with chickenpox

There are several specific measures that can help relieve the itching and urge to scratch skin affected by chickenpox rash. Namely:

1. Create a cool indoor climate! (The more the baby sweats, the worse the rash and the stronger the itching).
2. At night, put baby cotton mittens on your child so that he does not itch while sleeping.
3. Give your baby a cool bath. Despite the temperature and severe itching, it is not only possible, but also necessary to bathe a child with chickenpox. This is partly because cool water significantly reduces itching. An important nuance: after bathing, the skin should not be wiped, but only blotted with a towel.
4. To relieve itching, you can also add a little baking soda to the bathing water. Moreover, you can bathe your baby in a cool bath with the addition of soda several times a day - literally every 3-4 hours.
5. In addition, topical antihistamines (all kinds of ointments and gels) help relieve itching. However, such medications must be used very carefully! Apply the ointment or gel in a small amount and only on the pockmark itself. Otherwise (especially if there are a lot of rash blisters and they cover most of the body), when using antihistamine ointments, the child may “give” a real overdose of the drug. Since it is through the affected areas of the skin that the ointment is most quickly absorbed into the blood.

Possible complications after chickenpox in children

Aesthetic skin problems. After pockmarks, there may be blisters on the skin, small potholes, like after acne, etc., which cannot always be eliminated later.

. Most often this happens to children whose immunity is significantly weakened.

Brain damage (so-called “chickenpox encephalitis”). A rare but possible phenomenon associated with chickenpox, in which certain areas of the brain are temporarily “attacked.” Which, accordingly, causes disorder of behavior and facial expressions, tremors and loss of coordination. However, with proper therapy it can be successfully treated.

Reye's syndrome (“acute hepatic encephalopathy”). This is a very rare, but at the same time very serious disease, which, according to some medical studies, occurs due to the use of drugs based on acetylsalicylic acid (for example, aspirin) in the treatment of chickenpox. Mortality in Reye's syndrome due to chickenpox in children 3-12 years old is 20-25%.

The combination of chickenpox and aspirin is deadly! If you yourself or your children suffer from chickenpox, aspirin should be hidden in the farthest corner...

It should be remembered that most complications with chickenpox (as with other viral infections) occur due to dehydration. Give your child plenty of water and the risk of any complications will be significantly reduced.

Prevention of chickenpox in children

Only vaccination can provide a 100% guarantee of protection against the chickenpox virus. Alas, it is not so cheap that it can be carried out freely in our country. For comparison: in the United States and some European countries, since the mid-1990s, the chickenpox vaccine has been included in the national vaccination plan and is carried out everywhere.

At the same time, a baby with a strong immune system will likely suffer from chickenpox easier and faster than his peers with a weakened immune system. In addition, with weakened immunity against the background of chickenpox, children can sometimes develop complications of the disease. This all suggests that strong, stable immunity is also rightly considered part of the prevention against many diseases, including chickenpox.

Get over chickenpox so you never have it again!

Many modern young parents are of the opinion that their child should be allowed to get chickenpox at the safest age - kindergarten - (when the disease progresses most easily and quickly), so that in the future their child will never again be afraid of contracting chickenpox.

Often they deliberately take their baby “to visit” a house where at that time someone already has chickenpox - so that contact “takes place” and their baby gets over the illness safely. Oddly enough, many pediatricians these days consider such parental behavior to be very reasonable, while chickenpox quarantines in kindergartens, on the contrary, are a strange and illogical event. After all, at the age of 3-7 years, chickenpox occurs in the easiest way! And there is practically no chance of ever getting chickenpox again. So the logic of the parents is quite understandable and explainable.

However! Despite the fact that in most cases, chickenpox in children is mild, without visible consequences, sometimes complications do occur. That is why it is still wiser and safer to “vaccinate” a child against chickenpox with the help of a vaccine (that is, with the help of a weakened virus), and not through the disease itself (the outcome of which in some cases can be predictable).

So if you have come to a choice: what kind of “meeting” with the virus should you organize for your baby - a weakened one in the form of a vaccination, or a “wild” one in the form of a disease, then there is every reason to believe that it would be good to lean towards the first option...

Chickenpox in common parlance - in medical reference books this disease is called chickenpox. The causative agent is a common herpes virus, very tenacious, which, as is known, lives in the cells of every human body. There is an opinion, confirmed by doctors, that it is better to get sick in childhood, because children tolerate this illness much easier. However, when a period of epidemic occurs in children's institutions - and this is, most often, autumn - parents are concerned with the most important questions - how to protect the baby, how to determine the symptoms in children for sure?

Incubation period in children; What is chickenpox, how do children get infected?

This type of smallpox is believed to be the only viral disease that remains the most common infectious disease children's contingent to this day. Experts say that you can only get chickenpox once in your entire life, since the body that has had the disease subsequently develops immunity. Although sometimes there are cases when people get sick 2 times in their lives.

Most often affected children aged 2 to 10 years. As a rule, those children who are most susceptible to the disease are those who stay in kindergartens and schools, attend clubs, sections, etc. Newborn babies up to 6 months of age cannot become infected, because from birth they retain immunity received from their mother and supported by breastfeeding.

The virus is very volatile The route of transmission of infection is airborne . This virus can settle on the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth, and the entire surface of the respiratory tract, from where it easily and quickly enters the body.

In children, external manifestations initially include reddish spots on the surface of the skin, which then form small blisters filled with liquid.

It should be noted that this is a persistent infection and a disease that rapidly spreads between people - this is why seasonal annual epidemics in child care institutions . With the flow of air and dust, the virus easily penetrates into neighboring apartments and premises. If one student in a kindergarten gets chickenpox, it means that all other children are also susceptible to infection and will most likely get sick.
The epidemic pattern of morbidity is explained by its duration incubation period 2 to 3 weeks . During the incubation period, the disease does not manifest itself. The children look absolutely healthy and active. But during this period, a sick child, who does not even have any external manifestations, poses an epidemic threat to all the people around him and can infect them. When the incubation period passes and the phase of the most active division of the virus in the body begins, the child’s well-being begins to deteriorate, and all the typical symptoms of chickenpox appear. When the disease subsides, the virus ceases its activity 5 days after the appearance of the most recent rash on the body.

Symptoms: how does it start and what does it look like in children?

In the vast majority of cases, chickenpox shows a typical picture, and in all children it manifests itself, one might say, in the same way.

Among main symptoms of chickenpox the following can be distinguished:

• Sharply rising body temperature (up to 40 degrees C);
• Pain in the head, limbs and muscles;
• Irritability, tearfulness baby, severe weakness and apathy;
• Unreasonable anxiety, sleep disturbances;
• Decreased appetite in a child and even refusal to eat;
• The appearance of characteristic rashes on the entire surface of the body spots and blisters that do not affect only the surfaces of the palms and soles.

Rashes They are small pink-red spots that quickly cover the child’s entire body in a very short period of time.

• After some time, these pink spots begin to turn into bubbles with clear liquid inside;
• The blisters cause severe itching . The child begins to be bothered by itching and tries to scratch the blisters on the skin - which is absolutely forbidden to do. Parents should remember this and do their best to prevent their baby from scratching the itchy blisters on the skin. Otherwise, an infection may get into the scratched wounds, causing a serious complication - secondary infection of the skin;
• Skin spots dry out within 3 days and are covered with a red crust. But during the course of the disease, regular rashes appear on the patient’s body, in the typical form of the disease - in the period from 4 to 8 days, accompanied by all of the above symptoms of this disease;
• The crusts covering the spots on the skin begin to fall off after 2 weeks . At the site of the rash after chickenpox, barely noticeable marks remain on the skin, which are initially colored pale pink, then merge in color with healthy skin without standing out. But, if a child scratches blisters on the skin during his illness, scars of various sizes may form at the site of these scratches and remain forever.

Forms of the disease in children; how long does it last?

How long does chickenpox last in children? It is impossible to answer unequivocally. Each person’s body is individual, and the process proceeds differently for everyone. If we take average data, we can say - the appearance of new spots stops during the 5th – 8th day of the disease . From this time on, it is believed that the illness is subsiding and the child is recovering. Traces on the skin from stains pass within 3 weeks .

All cases require completely different treatment - this completely depends on the form of the disease.


Exists typical chickenpox, which occurs in mild, moderate or severe form, as well as atypical chickenpox.

Complications in children: what is dangerous for a child?

Subject to all sanitary and hygienic standards does not cause any complications . If during the course of the disease the blisters on the skin become inflamed or are severely scratched, visible scars form in their place and remain for life. More serious consequences of chickenpox in patients practically do not occur. The only serious complication - which, fortunately, occurs extremely rarely - is encephalomyelitis, the so-called inflammation of the brain.


Usually, chickenpox treatment is carried out at home . There are no special medications for the treatment of chickenpox; they are not necessary. Doctors recommend that the patient adhere to a certain diet, drink plenty of fluids, maintain strict bed rest, take antiallergic medications To prevent severe itching, lubricate the skin with lotions that soothe itching, and lubricate any blisters with brilliant green.

The website warns: self-medication can harm your health! If you have any doubts about the symptoms and manifestations of a particular disease in your child, consult a doctor, do not make a diagnosis yourself!