Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is a common childhood disease spread by a highly contagious virus. Although most cases of chickenpox are mild, severe complications can occur in some children. Home care methods to relieve itching can help your child stay comfortable until chickenpox blisters begin to fade.
Symptoms
Chickenpox spots start as itchy red bumps that eventually become blisters. Fluid-filled blisters may be found on the back, face, scalp and chest. Blisters eventually break open and are covered by a crust or scab. MayoClinic.com reports that the chickenpox rash can cover the entire body in severe cases, with lesions forming in the eyes, throat and mucous membranes of the vagina, anus and urethra. Blisters cause intense itching. Your child may show little interest in food and may complain that his stomach hurts when he has chickenpox. Other symptoms of chickenpox include fever, headache, cough and irritability. These symptoms may occur several days before you notice the chickenpox rash.
Risk Factors
Exposure to other children or adults who have chickenpox can increase the risk of developing the disease in a child who has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox is contagious a day or two before the tell-tale spots appear. The vaccine can travel through the air in droplets released when an infected person sneezes or coughs or can be transmitted by touching leaking fluids from a chickenpox blister.
Treatment
In mild cases, no specific treatment is needed for chickenpox. Intense itching can be relieved with oatmeal baths, cool compresses and over-the-counter medications, including anti-itch preparations and antihistamine medications. Antiviral medications may be recommended if your doctor feels that your child may be at risk for complications. Children who have asthma and other lung condition, take steroids or have eczema may be at higher risk of developing such complications as pneumonia, bacterial skin infection, heart muscle inflammation, temporary arthritis or encephalitis, a dangerous and potentially deadly swelling of the brain. While ibuprofen or acetaminophen can be helpful in treating a fever, avoid giving your child aspirin. Aspirin use in children can cause a potentially fatal condition called Reyes Syndrome.
Prevention
The varicella vaccine can help your child avoid catching chickenpox. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that about eight to nine out of every 10 people who are vaccinated are completely protected from the disease and those people who do get the disease experience a milder version of it. Because chickenpox is contagious before you realize that your child is infected, use of the vaccine may help reduce the spread of the disease in your community.
