What the initial signs of chickenpox look like in children: symptoms with photos, treatment and prevention of smallpox. Chicken pox in children. Causes of chickenpox development

My child woke up today in the most terrible mood. I thought that he was just being capricious due to bad weather, but no - the temperature rose and the baby was holding his head and saying “bo-bo.” Then I frantically began to remember what and where we could have picked up. The only thing that came to mind was a recent visit to friends whose child, as it turned out, had chickenpox.

I cringed at the mere thought of this disease, because I clearly remembered how I myself suffered from it as a child, and I carefully began to search for information about the causes, methods of treatment and possible negative consequences of this extremely unpleasant illness, not forgetting to call our pediatrician home first.

The first symptoms of chickenpox are similar to those of a cold.

Where does chickenpox come from?

The only root cause of such an unpleasant disease is a virus - the well-known herpes virus. The cells of this harmful microscopic infectious and very unfriendly agent are very active and exist in small quantity in the body of any person, but they initiate the disease only under the influence of certain factors favorable to their violent behavior.

Suffer from the activity of the specific herpes virus of the third type - this is chickenpox - mainly children from one year old and teenagers.

Infants and chickenpox

Infants can get chickenpox if:

Chickenpox is more severe in infancy than that of a one and a half or two year old baby. This is due to the imperfection of the baby’s immunity.

Zhanna talks about her six-month-old son:

“The baby was very seriously ill. The temperature did not subside for more than 3 days. I shot it down with “Efferalgan” and “Viferon” - the effect was minimal. The vaunted “Fenistil” does not help at all from itching. Only suprastin for a quarter helped. It’s a horror in general, not a disease.”

It's better to get sick in childhood

However, chickenpox in children occurs in more mild form than in adults. Therefore, be patient and try not to get infected from your child, because cases of relapse are well known. The disease is much more difficult to tolerate in adulthood than in childhood, and the likelihood of complications occurring in older family members is much higher. Chicken pox is extremely dangerous for expectant mothers. Dr. Komarovsky talks about this in detail in his video school.

Methods and time intervals of infection

How do children get chickenpox? The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets from a sick person. That is, if your baby was in a room with a spreader of infection, even at a great distance (up to 20 meters), then the likelihood of infection is very high. According to some mothers, their children became infected with the herpes virus type 3 from people suffering from shingles. This really is the case, since the pathogen in lichen and chickenpox one.

If a child gets chickenpox, he needs to be quarantined to protect other children.

The virus enters the child’s body through the mucous membranes of the pharynx, oral cavity and nose and with the blood flow spreads throughout the body, dynamically multiplying in the skin and mucous membranes.

However, people with chickenpox are not contagious throughout their entire illness.

You can catch chickenpox from a patient 2 days before the first rash appears and throughout active period disease, that is, until crusts form.

Warning signs of chickenpox

How does the disease begin? Determining the onset of chickenpox is quite difficult. The very first signs of chickenpox in childhood are:

• headache;
• hyperexcitability;
• tearfulness;
• general poor health;
• refusal to eat;
• elevated temperature up to 39-40 0 (not always);
• enlarged neck and occipital lymph nodes(does not happen to everyone);
• nausea and vomiting.

These symptoms mostly characterize incubation period development of chickenpox. It lasts from 7 days to 3 weeks and is replaced active phase diseases.

Sometimes chickenpox may be accompanied additional symptoms, such as . Snot causes great discomfort to the child and makes breathing difficult. The mother’s skillful actions will help ease the child’s suffering.

When a child has a high fever, it must be brought down. For this it is recommended to use medicines, appropriate for the baby's age. In this article we will talk about the most common antipyretic drugs for infants.

Period of rash

What symptoms should you pay attention to in a child during the heyday of chickenpox? The baby's temperature rises sharply, and the skin begins to become covered with small red spots. After a short time, the spots acquire a convex shape and are filled with clear liquid - this is a constantly itchy blistering rash. It spreads quickly to skin and mucous membranes, especially in the face, head, neck, chest and abdomen. You can see in detail what this rash looks like in the photo below.

This is what the chickenpox rash looks like.

The onset of the rash is characterized constant itching , which does not stop until crusts appear on the rash sites, indicating the healing process. Itching gives the baby a lot of anxiety, so our parental task is to try to reduce these discomfort. How? Can:

Do not use any of the listed medications on your own - they are intended for children different ages and are prescribed only by a doctor in accordance with the characteristics of the child.

The fact that itching needs to be fought is also evidenced by reviews from parents who have gone through this difficult school of chickenpox.

Veronica about fighting itching:

“We treated our sores with Fukortsin - almost the same as green stuff, only red. And we struggled with a rash in the mouth weak solution potassium permanganate. I made sure to give my son “Suprastin” 1/2 tablet in the morning and evening.”

How many days does the rash last?

Usually the bubbles begin to burst on their own a day or two after they appear. Try to prevent your baby from scratching the rash - this can provoke a second round of rashes.

To prevent infection from getting into the wounds, they must be treated with brilliant green.

When the blister bursts, a small ulcer remains in its place, which then becomes covered with a crust. If you comb these crusts, then when they fall off in place former rash Small scars or scars may remain. Treat ulcers even before crusts appear with brilliant green to avoid repeated infection in a small open wound. The crusts can be dried with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or smeared "Acyclovir"- Consult your pediatrician about this.

How long does chickenpox last in general, or rather its active phase?

The rash appears within 3-5 days, giving way to ulcers and crusts. General cycle Chickenpox activity varies from 5 to 8 days. With the appearance of crusts, the baby's condition improves.

If ulcers appear instead of crusts, then this is one of the most severe forms chickenpox - purulent. It may have several development options.

After 5-8 days the child is completely healthy.

Forms of the disease and complications of chickenpox

According to the severity and severity of symptoms, several forms of chickenpox are distinguished:

• Vestigial- the easiest and most common form. The nature of the rash and symptoms of rudimentary chickenpox are described above.
• Generalized- rashes are localized not only on the skin and mucous membranes. Covered with a rash internal organs. This form of chickenpox is severe.
• Bullous- large rash, like blisters. A cloudy light yellow liquid is visible in the bubbles. The blisters spread in size and combine into large blisters. When a blister bursts, what remains in its place is a weeping and long-lasting non-healing wound. In the bullous form of chickenpox, streptococcal and staphylococcal infections, therefore, treatment here must be carried out with antibiotics.
• Gangrenous- characterized by large (up to several centimeters) blistering rash, with characteristic gangrenous rims along the edges. Inside the blisters you can see a dirty yellow or grayish thick liquid interspersed with blood, reminiscent of pus. When such a bladder is opened, deep, pus-filled wounds remain in its place.

The last 3 forms described above are most often complications of rudimentary chickenpox. They arise due to incorrect and unscrupulous treatment of primary rashes. Very rarely they can manifest themselves. Other possible consequences chickenpox: meningoencephalitis, pneumonia, nephritis, otitis media.

To bathe or not to bathe

Many mothers are concerned about the question: is it possible to bathe a baby with chickenpox? Yes, it is possible, and even necessary because to prevent the spread secondary infection. Just bathe your baby without soap and without a washcloth, and add a few manganese crystals to the bath. I'll make a reservation that at elevated temperature water treatments contraindicated for babies, but antipyretics (ibuprofen or paracetamol) at a body temperature of 38 0 will help alleviate your child’s condition.

Water treatments help avoid secondary spread of infection.

Does chickenpox need to be treated? As such specific treatment this disease does not exist. All treatment comes down to:

• knocking down the temperature if necessary;
• thorough treatment of rashes;
• maintaining skin hygiene.

About prevention and vaccinations

There is no prevention of chickenpox as such. The only thing that can be done is to isolate the already infected child from the group for 3 weeks. To prevent your baby from getting chickenpox - you can get vaccinated. Vaccination against the herpes virus in our country is optional. The vaccine is given to children from one year of age and older. The vaccine is effective for about 10 years. Vaccination should not be done if the child has a weakened immune system.- the vaccine in this situation can provoke unwanted complications.

Note to mom

• During the incubation period, it is almost impossible to determine chickenpox;
• if your child already has chickenpox, then his contacts with the outside world should be minimized;
• rashes must be treated very carefully;
• you can become infected without having direct contact with a carrier of the infection;
• Explain to your child that it is forbidden to scratch the rash;
• try to distract the baby from unpleasant sensations;
• be sure to bathe the baby if he does not have a temperature;
• Get your child vaccinated if possible.

Of particular interest are parents whose children have interacted with a child who has been diagnosed with chickenpox. Such information is also important in situations where kindergarten or the school has been declared quarantine due to chickenpox. How to recognize on early stage this infection and how to understand that a child has chickenpox? To answer such questions, you need to find out where and how chickenpox begins in childhood.

What is chickenpox

Chicken pox, which is traditionally called chickenpox by parents and doctors, is a highly contagious infection that occurs with fever, rash and other symptoms. Most often, this disease is detected in children aged two to ten years. Its causative agent is one of the types of herpes viruses – the Varicella Zoster virus.

Infants can also become infected and get sick from chickenpox, but most babies under six months of age are protected from chickenpox by their mother’s immunity. They receive antibodies to chickenpox from a mother who was ill in childhood, first in utero and then through breast milk. A child older than 6 months is no longer protected by maternal antibodies, so chickenpox in infants who are already six months old is quite possible.

Watch the episode of the program “Live Healthy!”, in which host Elena Malysheva talks about chickenpox in children:

Chicken pox also affects people over 10-12 years of age. At the same time, in adolescents and adults, the infection is more severe, so many parents are not against preschoolers communicating with children suffering from chickenpox or turn to a medical institution for vaccination against this disease.

In the body of a child who has had chickenpox or has been vaccinated against the Varicella Zoster virus, antibodies are formed that provide him with lifelong immunity from such an infection for the rest of his life. Only in 3% of cases is it possible reinfection, which is often associated with immunodeficiency.

IN adolescence chickenpox is more severely tolerated than in preschool children

Incubation period

This period is the time from the virus entering the child’s body after infection to the first symptoms of infection. If you answer the question “how many days after exposure does chickenpox appear?”, then most often in children it will be 14 days. The duration of the incubation period can be shorter (from 7 days) or longer (up to 21 days), but on average, the onset of chickenpox is noted two weeks from the moment of first contact with the virus.

The child becomes a source of transmission of the virus to other people at the end of the incubation period - approximately 24 hours before the first symptoms. In addition, you can become infected from a child with chickenpox during the entire period of the rash and within five days after the last blisters appear on the baby’s skin. Pathogen transmission occurs by airborne droplets.

The child is a source of infection during the entire period of the rash

Prodromal period

This is the name for the time period when it is difficult to say what kind of disease a child has developed. With chickenpox it is quite short (lasts one or two days), and in many children it may be absent altogether. In the prodromal period of chickenpox, mothers note such manifestations of malaise in children as weakness, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, loss of appetite and sleep.

Watch the video, which clearly demonstrates the rash on initial stage chickenpox in children:

Period of rash

The rash begins to appear on the first or second day clinical symptoms chickenpox. It is associated with the entry of the virus into the bloodstream surface layer skin. At the same time, the child’s body temperature rises, and the severity of the fever is directly related to the abundance of elements of the rash, and when new rashes appear, the temperature rises again.

Where do rashes appear?

Not knowing whether the child has contracted chickenpox, all mothers are concerned with the question “on what part of the body does the rash begin to appear?” The first elements of the rash in most children appear on the torso, then they spread to the skin of the extremities, and also appear on the head (first on the face, and then on the scalp). In some children, the rash also affects the mucous membranes; for example, pimples can be seen in the mouth.

On the surface of the body

On the face

On the palms

Can it start from the feet?

The first spots of chickenpox may appear on the legs and head, but they soon spread to the skin of the body. At the same time, there is practically no rash with chickenpox on the palms and soles. It can appear in these areas mainly in severe cases of the disease.

If the child light form chickenpox, the rash will be represented by a small number of elements on the body, and the temperature often remains normal.

What does the rash look like?

Chickenpox rashes are represented by several types of elements that appear one after another. At first, small pink-red spots cover the child’s body, and after a few hours papules form in their place. This is the name given to small bumps that resemble mosquito bites.

Over time top part epidermis in papules peels off and accumulates inside clear liquid- this is how single-chamber vesicles arise. Around each such bubble you can see a red “rim” of inflamed skin.

As a rule, the chickenpox rash can be quite itchy, and the parents' task should be to prevent scratching, which can infect the blisters.

Varicella (chickenpox) - an infectious disease, the distinctive feature of which is the formation of a specific rash in the form of small blisters on the skin. Those who have had chickenpox acquire lasting immunity to the disease.

The nature of infection in chickenpox

Chickenpox is an infectious disease viral nature. The herpes simplex virus, which causes chickenpox, has the ability to infect only cells of the skin and mucous membranes.

Causes of chickenpox

Chickenpox is caused by the herpes virus, which has a very high ability to be transmitted by airborne droplets from sick to healthy, unsick children. Therefore, if during the last three weeks (incubation period is from 10 to 21 days) the child could have contact with a sick person (in kindergarten, school, in transport, etc.) in public places), then the likelihood of getting chickenpox increases significantly. Unfortunately, chickenpox is contagious before the rash appears, so it is not always possible to accurately determine whether such exposure has occurred. The patient begins to be contagious to others 2 days before the rash appears and is contagious for a week after its appearance.

Susceptibility to chickenpox is especially high in children under 5 years of age. However infants(up to 6 months for breastfeeding) practically do not suffer from chickenpox, since the mother transmits her own immunity to them through the placenta in the prenatal period and from breast milk(if, of course, my mother had chickenpox as a child). Children over 10 years of age also rarely get chickenpox, but if they do, the infection can be more severe and complicated and the treatment takes longer, since only older children with reduced immunity become infected.

Chickenpox - mostly childhood disease, but adults who were not sick in childhood can also become infected with chickenpox.

Signs of chickenpox in children

One day you noticed that a pimple appeared on your child’s body, but you didn’t notice it. special significance- maybe a mosquito bit me, or maybe it just jumped up. The pimple quickly began to grow, increase in size, became dense to the touch and turned into a blister with watery contents. Moreover, such a rash appeared all over the body, pimples popped up on the arms and legs, on the stomach and back. At the same time, the child is somehow hot, lethargic (however, there may not be a temperature), he began to eat worse, he may even feel sick - and all this began a couple of days before the first pimple appeared. Well, parents, your child may have chickenpox, or scientifically - chicken pox.

The number of pimples - elements of the rash - can increase at lightning speed, or maybe slowly over several days. As a rule, a new rash appears in waves after 1 - 2 days over a week or less - it all depends on the child’s immunity this moment. Each element of the rash turns from a small pink dot into a round or irregular shape a dark pink spot raised above the skin, with a lump inside and a bubble of liquid outside. Over time, the bubble bursts and dries into a crust, which falls off, leaving no scars on the child’s skin. The pink hard spot on the skin remains and will go away for a long time - about 2 weeks. Newly appearing rash pimples are not so scary, they are smaller in size, since the child has already begun to produce antibodies to the herpes simplex virus that causes chickenpox, and they resist the growth of the rash.

With chickenpox, a child may have enlarged lymph nodes, especially behind the ears and on the neck, which means that the child's body is fighting the chickenpox virus. Lymph nodes may remain enlarged for some time after chickenpox is cured.

Symptoms of chickenpox in a child

Chickenpox usually begins with a mild fever (usually a moderate fever of 38-39 °C) and malaise. A day later a rash appears. At first these are small red spots on the body, arms, legs and face. Soon the spots thicken, swell and fill with liquid, forming bubbles. In this case, the child feels intense itching, as a result of which he constantly strives to comb the affected skin. It is the parents' job to keep an eye on him and prevent him from scratching, since in this way one can introduce additional infection. The fluid in chickenpox blisters is highly contagious because it contains live chickenpox viruses.. There may be several waves of rash over the course of a week in 2-3 stages with an interval of 1-2 days. Each such stage is accompanied by a repeated rise in temperature, which then decreases again. At this time, the child feels weak, irritable, and his sleep and appetite are disturbed. The bubbles dry out and become crusty. On the 7-10th day, all the blisters become crusty, the temperature drops and the patient ceases to be infectious.

Chickenpox is characterized by the appearance of new elements of the rash against the background of existing old ones, so the rash has different type on the same area of ​​skin (spots, blisters, and scabs).

A similar rash can be on the mucous membranes and conjunctiva, which causes the child quite severe pain. As a rule, there is NO rash on the palms and feet with chickenpox. This is more typical for enterovirus infection, and even doctors sometimes confuse these diseases. And then my mother wonders why my child gets chickenpox a second time. Fortunately, the treatment for these diseases is almost the same, and this is what saves doctors.

The course of chickenpox in children

The latent incubation period of the disease in children lasts on average 2 weeks, less often 10-21 days. The onset of chickenpox is acute, with fever - 1-2 days. The rash period is 1 week or a little more. At the end of the period of rashes, the crusts remain on the skin for another 1-2 weeks, after which they disappear, leaving slight pigmentation. Scars do not form in uncomplicated chickenpox. If, when scratching, a pyogenic infection is nevertheless introduced, the blisters degenerate into pustules, and then, after their disappearance, residual effects are possible in the form of lifelong small scars, externally similar to smallpox.

The child’s recovery occurs no earlier than the 10th day from the moment of the first rash. The release of the virus stops after the last elements of the rash dry out.

Features of the rash with chickenpox

Sometimes inexperienced doctors unjustifiably make a diagnosis of chickenpox, confusing the chickenpox rash with allergic (atopic) dermatitis. How to distinguish chickenpox from allergies? To begin with, exclude all possible allergens from the child’s menu and environment, while the intensive increase in the number of allergy rashes should slow down, but this measure will not affect chickenpox. With chickenpox, the size of new rashes is smaller than previous ones, with allergic dermatitis new rashes are more intense and larger in size, and old ones, after the crust falls off, do not go away, increase in size, and may become wet or crack. There is no chickenpox rash on the palms and soles, as mentioned earlier.

Almost every adult, having had chickenpox in childhood, can find traces of its dirty deeds on themselves - small scars on the skin. How can this be explained when it is written everywhere that the chickenpox rash does not leave scars on the skin? It’s simple: doctors advised our mothers to open the blisters and intensively cover them with brilliant green several times a day, while swimming was strictly forbidden, and not to walk for 3 weeks. Well, this is a mockery of a child and contradicts all logic in the treatment of chickenpox in a child! Most local pediatricians have not advanced much in the logic of treating chickenpox and give the same advice as...twenty years ago.

To prevent buildup purulent infection in ancient times, it was recommended to treat elements of the rash with chickenpox 2 times a day alcohol solution brilliant green (green) or dark aqueous solution potassium permanganate. Many of you are firmly convinced that brilliant green kills the causative agent of chickenpox, but this is far from the case. Zelenka dries out skin rashes and disinfects the wound left after a burst blister until a scab appears. If you apply brilliant green several times a day, you can achieve an imbalance of beneficial and harmful microorganisms on the child’s skin and dry out the wound, which leads to scarring. Another important one negative factor lubrication with brilliant green - cotton swab you transfer herpes viruses from a fresh rash to healthy skin, thereby re-infecting the child with his own viruses and spreading the rash throughout the body. If the skin is not treated with anything at all, the pimples will become inflamed from the entry of opportunistic microbes from the skin, increase in size, itch more and, as a result, scars on the skin again.

At a high temperature, which rises again and again after the next paracetamol tablet, the doctor who comes to your “aid” without thinking can prescribe a dose of aspirin + paracetamol. In case of infections in children under 15 years of age, this should not be done under any circumstances! Taking aspirin for chickenpox risks Reye's (or Reye's) syndrome - acute hepatic encephalopathy due to swelling of the brain and liver. No treatment can stop this syndrome; treatment is aimed only at maintaining vital functions.

How to properly treat chickenpox

In typical cases, chickenpox is treated at home. In the normal course, only the symptoms of chickenpox are treated. To alleviate the condition of a sick child, he is usually given antipyretic medications, the blisters are lubricated with antiseptics, and the itching is relieved antihistamines. A solution of brilliant green (zelenka) in Russia is used for chickenpox as a standard antiseptic for disinfection. It is enough to lubricate each new spot of chickenpox once, clean cotton swab, or smear only the combs.

If the child has a fever, give paracetamol or ibuprofen in an age-appropriate dosage; for children, these drugs are available in the form rectal suppositories, which can be used even when the child is sleeping. But keep in mind that you should not lower the temperature below 38.5 degrees C if the child tolerates it without complaints. Temperature helps kill chickenpox viruses in the body.

At home, during treatment, the child must follow bed rest for 6-7 days, while it is advisable to change bed linen more often. It is necessary that the patient drinks as much fluid as possible, a diet of predominantly dairy-vegetable nature (milk porridge, pureed pureed vegetables, pureed fruits and fruit juices).

An important factor influencing the severity of chickenpox symptoms is hygiene. Change your child's underwear and bed linen more often, and even home clothes should be cotton, with long sleeves and legs. This prevents scratching and infection of healthy areas of the body. But dress your child so that he does not sweat.

During chickenpox, you need to give your child something to drink more often, especially when he has a fever. For temperatures above 38, give the child an antipyretic. The temperature during chickenpox can rise in waves: before the first rash, during a wave of new rashes, the temperature can rise again, there may be a high temperature for the entire period of the rash.

You should not wash your child in the bath during chickenpox; this will only increase the number and size of the rash. The maximum is a quick shower. But under no circumstances should you leave your child dirty; do not allow the crusts to soak, then blot with a towel (do not rub). There is no need to be afraid of washing your hands; wash your child’s hands and face carefully, pat dry with a towel.

Protect your child from drafts and infections, colds, which can further reduce immunity. Help your immune system, give your child vitamin C, fruits, juices, go to school more often fresh air, but away from children, so as not to infect them.

Children with weakened immune system If they have been exposed to the chickenpox virus, they are given immunoglobulin (protective protein antibodies) to prevent the disease. The decision on hospitalization is made by the doctor (in in rare cases extremely severe symptoms).

Often, chickenpox in children occurs without any special consequences, unlike chickenpox in an adult, but if complications suddenly appear, you need to sound the alarm! It is important not to overlook threatening symptoms.

Dangerous complications of chickenpox

Complications from chickenpox are rare; as a rule, the course of the disease is favorable. There are usually no difficulties in recognizing the disease. But God forbid that you catch chickenpox shortly after vaccination, when the child’s immunity is extremely reduced, or for a child with existing chronic diseases and receiving any treatment. In this case, irreparable consequences are possible, including fatal outcome(happens when hemorrhagic form chickenpox).

Hemorrhagic form of chickenpox, 6 days from the onset of chickenpox

If such a rash appears, immediately call an ambulance or take your child to the hospital, the minutes are counting!

You must react quickly and call a doctor if you notice at least 1 of the following in your child listed symptoms complications of chickenpox:

If the rash spots increase in size, grow, look like the beginning of a “cold on the lips”, become covered with numerous blisters, turn blue, become filled with blood, new rashes appear 10 days later from the first signs of chickenpox (only the appearance of small rash like prickly heat, which does not increase in size and goes away quickly),

if the temperature remains above 37 for more than a week or the temperature rises every day, despite the fact that the blisters dry up and the crusts fall off,

if the rash spreads to the mucous membranes: eyes, mouth, or genitals (similar changes may occur on internal organs),

when you have a cough or runny nose (snot and cough during chickenpox can be caused herpetic rashes in the nasopharynx), nosebleeds,

with diarrhea and frequent vomiting; nausea and vomiting, as well as difficulty breathing, drowsiness, convulsions, tension in the fontanel in children can be signs of death dangerous syndrome Rhea,

those. in all cases where chickenpox is atypical.

In any case, as soon as you notice the first signs of a child’s illness and a rash, immediately call a doctor. Only he will accurately determine whether the child has chickenpox or another disease (it is quite difficult for an untrained eye to distinguish the symptoms of chickenpox from allergies or other diseases with a rash), and will monitor the course of the disease.

When is a person with chickenpox not contagious?

A patient with chickenpox becomes contagious when he does not yet know about it - 2-3 days before the rash appears, and the rash appears about 2 weeks after infection. A patient with chickenpox ceases to be contagious when no new rashes appear, and the old ones become covered with a crust and the crusts fall off (when the blisters heal, the virus is no longer released into the external environment). On average, chickenpox quarantine for an individual child is 2-3 weeks from the first rash.

How can you get chickenpox?

The virus is a very volatile pathogen, but external environment lives no more than an hour. The source of infection is a sick person, and direct contact with him is not necessary for infection: the virus easily penetrates into neighboring rooms and even adjacent apartments. However, it is not stable in the external environment, so it cannot spread through third parties and objects. You can become infected by airborne droplets from a patient with chickenpox, direct contact with a patient with chickenpox or through discharge respiratory system or liquid contained in skin rashes infected people. Although classic chickenpox (herpes virus type 3) and cold sores (herpes virus type 1) are caused by different types herpes simplex virus, a child may develop chickenpox after contact with an atypical herpes virus, that is, with a person with a cold on the lips, in these cases the disease is more severe.

Prevention of chickenpox

Currently developed specific prevention chickenpox, in Russia these are Okavax and Varilrix vaccines. The vaccine is given to children over a year old in the absence of contraindications. The protective effect of the vaccine lasts, according to some data, up to 20 years. There are plans to introduce such a vaccination into the vaccination calendar due to the disappointing statistics on the incidence of chickenpox not only among children, but also among adults.

Answers to questions about chickenpox:

1. A child was diagnosed with chickenpox simply after being examined by a doctor. Is it legal to make such a diagnosis without undergoing tests?
If a child has a rash characteristic of chickenpox, the diagnosis can be made after examination and collection of complaints. Tests are necessary only in case of protracted or complicated course of the disease.

2. The child has a fever and pimples appear all over his body and in his hair. Is it chicken pox?
The diagnosis of chickenpox can only be made experienced doctor after a face-to-face examination of the child.

3. The child has chickenpox, what folk remedies can we use it to help him recover faster?
For any infectious disease, including chickenpox, vitamin berry fruit drinks or fruit drinks would be appropriate to help with the main treatment. herbal teas, but you need to be sure that the child is not allergic to them (that is, the child has already tried this tea and no allergies have arisen)

4. Is it necessary to feed a child if he is eating (he has chickenpox)?
The body fights the infection, and it needs strength to do this, so you definitely need to feed. But a lot of energy is also spent on digesting food. Therefore, during chickenpox, if the child refuses the usual food, replace it with chicken bouillon and jelly.

5. A friend’s child has chickenpox. I went to visit them when he first got chickenpox. Can I bring chickenpox to my child?
If you are not infected, then you will not infect your child. Chickenpox is not transmitted through third parties.

Pediatrician T.P. Novikova

Chickenpox is infectious disease. Chickenpox is a common disease in children, but adults are also susceptible to this infection. Being around someone who has chickenpox is very dangerous because the virus spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. You can also get chickenpox by coming into contact with the rash of an infected person. People who are not vaccinated against chickenpox are always at risk of contracting chickenpox.

How can you get chickenpox?

Every person should know basic information about the symptoms of chickenpox; This is especially true for parents of young children. Your child can be infected with the chickenpox virus simply by touching an infected person. Moreover, if a person with chickenpox sneezes around others, this can also cause infection. Remember, the symptoms of chickenpox in children are the same as the symptoms of chickenpox in adults: fever, headache, nausea, aches and pains and loss of appetite. If you notice a rash or spots on your child's skin, call a doctor immediately.

How many times can you get chickenpox?

There are a few more important things to note about chickenpox symptoms. If a person is infected with chickenpox, he will not get chickenpox again the second time. Remember also that if you are the mother of a child and have not had chickenpox before, you have every chance of contracting chickenpox from your own child. A pregnant woman should also be very careful not to get chickenpox.

Chickenpox incubation period

The incubation period for chickenpox takes 10 to 21 days for the disease to fully develop in adult patients. A person suffering from chickenpox remains contagious for 10 to 14 days, until all of their blisters have crusted over. During the first 5 days of chickenpox illness, the child should stay at home and any contact with other children is prohibited until the rash dries. It is important to make sure that a child with chickenpox cannot infect other children. The varicella zoster virus, the cause of chickenpox, spreads quickly from an infected person to other people through contact. Below are the most common symptoms of chickenpox that require immediate treatment.

10. Chickenpox symptoms: rash

Chickenpox symptoms appear approximately 10 to 21 days after exposure to the virus. Chickenpox rash is the most predominant symptom of the disease. However, there are other symptoms that appear about 2 days before the rash. But these symptoms are not definitive; rashes are characteristic feature, which provides a definitive diagnosis of chickenpox.

9. Chickenpox symptoms: fever, high temperature

Fever, a symptom of chickenpox, can begin approximately 1-2 days before the rash appears. The temperature with chickenpox is usually 38 °C (Celsius) or more. Fever is the most common of all secondary symptoms of chickenpox and is more common in adults than in children. For treatment high temperature If you have chickenpox, you can take antipyretic drugs - usually Paracetamol. However, you should consult your doctor or pharmacist to choose suitable medicine. Studies have shown that of all antipyretics for chickenpox, Ibuprofen should be avoided because its use worsens the disease.

8. Chickenpox symptoms: muscle pain

Muscle pain is accompanied by fatigue and irritability if you suffer from chickenpox. Chickenpox muscle pain also begins about 2 days before the rash. Along with muscle pain, joint pain may appear. These chickenpox symptoms, however, are not necessary. In some patients there is only muscle pain, some have both types of pain. Take pain medications to relieve these chickenpox symptoms.

7. Chickenpox symptoms: loss of appetite

As the chickenpox virus enters the body, the sick person feels discomfort and refuses to eat. A person with chickenpox should drink enough fluids to avoid dehydration. For children - as an option - sugar-free popsicles are in a good way obtaining liquid. The loss of appetite is not very severe and goes away fairly quickly. it's the same secondary symptom a symptom of chickenpox that appears before the rash.

6. Chickenpox symptoms: cough or runny nose

The “flu” condition with chickenpox is common in both adults and children. Some children may have more severe symptoms. A runny nose with chickenpox is often accompanied by a cough; the condition is well alleviated by antihistamines. If the cough with chickenpox gets worse or the patient begins to feel sick, you should urgently call a doctor or an ambulance.

5. Chickenpox symptoms: headache

Not only muscle and joint pain worry those infected with chickenpox - headache is also one of the most known symptoms chicken pox. Chickenpox headaches can be treated with the same medications used to treat muscle and joint pain. There is no need to panic when a headache begins with chickenpox. Just relax, rest, take a painkiller and the pain in your head will go away.

4. Chickenpox symptoms: papules

Papules are pink or red colored bumps raised above the skin. The chickenpox rash develops into a papule over several days. Papules are very itchy, but this itching must be relieved by everyone accessible ways. Scratching a rash or papules may cause bacterial infection skin, soft tissue, joints, bones and even blood. Such infections are a serious condition that must be treated separately - often with antibiotics. To avoid scratching the skin, you can take antihistamines.

3. Chickenpox symptoms: blisters on the skin

Over the course of several days, chickenpox papules form specific blisters (with purulent contents). It is their contents, liquid, that contributes to the spread of chickenpox. disease. The blisters break to release fluid, a symptom of chickenpox that means the disease is getting worse. Maintain quarantine conditions for a person with chickenpox, do not allow them to contact other people, provide a separate towel, bed linen and cutlery for the person with chickenpox that will not be used by other people.

2. Chickenpox symptoms: crusts and scabs

Crusts and scabs appear on the destroyed blisters. As a rule, they do not cause pain, but it takes several days for the vesicle to enter the drying stage. Sometimes the liquid in the vesicle dries out, forming a crust on the surface of the skin that quickly falls off. In other cases, chickenpox crusts take longer to form: first, the liquid in the vesicles becomes cloudy, pustules (pustules) appear, only then light brown crusts form, which gradually wrinkle and fall off after about 6-8 days. When this happens, the infectious stage of the disease has passed. The fallen off crusts usually do not leave marks on the skin, in very rare cases - for several months or even years, visually noticeable scars may remain.

1. Chickenpox symptoms: difficulty breathing

This is the most alarming symptom of chickenpox. Difficulty breathing is a very rare symptom of chickenpox, but very dangerous. Chest pain or difficulty breathing are very serious health problems that need to be addressed right away. Usually prescribed drugs, bronchodilators are usually given, which quickly makes breathing easier. In the presence of similar symptom, requires prescription of drugs by a doctor and serious hospital care.

In order to avoid these alarming symptoms chickenpox, do not forget about the benefits of vaccination. The chickenpox vaccine is very effective in preventing the disease. Socialization with chickenpox patients is the worst idea that not very literate parents can come up with. It is always recommended to keep children with chickenpox at home, which reduces the risk of spreading the infection to zero.

Denial of responsibility: The information presented in this article about chickenpox symptoms is intended to inform the reader only. It is not intended to be a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional.

Contagiousness and symptoms

If your kindergarten has been quarantined due to chickenpox, or your child has been in contact with a sick child, then the chances of catching the disease are almost 100%. You should know that the incubation period for chickenpox is 21 days. A child is considered infectious three days before the first rash appears, and only five days after the last element of the rash appears is no longer a carrier of the infection.

The main symptoms of chickenpox:

Small rashes in the form of light pimples (most often appear first on the face, neck, folds of the arms and legs, and scalp), which change and spread over time;

It is possible, although not necessary (in the first 1-2 days), itching at the sites of the rash;

An increase in body temperature is also likely.

It is very desirable that the diagnosis of “chicken pox” be made by a doctor (although in our case the first elements appeared in children on the road) and he also prescribed treatment.

Lifestyle organization

Because chickenpox is viral infection, any specific drug treatment no, although in severe cases antiherpetic drugs are prescribed. But parents can significantly alleviate the baby’s condition by creating appropriate conditions. Namely:

Cool, humid air in the room where the child most often stays and sleeps (in warm conditions the itching is much more pronounced);
- drinking plenty of fluids- as much as the child wants, but offer and remind more often;
- feeding according to appetite and reducing the total calorie content of food - more vegetables and fruits, lean meat and fish, porridge, in case of rashes on the oral mucosa - only soft (broth, puree) and at room temperature;
- frequent change underwear and bed linen;
- if necessary - short warm shower, after which do not wipe, but blot.
The question of whether or not to wash a child with chickenpox is one of the most controversial. As for my children, they took a shower before bed every day, and twice a day they were required to perform genital hygiene (washing warm water without soap). None negative consequences I didn’t notice, rather the opposite - the itching became less and the rash dried out faster. But, again, each parent makes their own choice.

Medicines and treatment

As a rule, in the first 1-2 days, when there are still few elements of the rash, nothing particularly bothers the child. But from about the third day, when the active rash and maturation of the bubbles begins (liquid appears inside, then it becomes cloudy, the bubble bursts and becomes crusty), against the background of this, the body temperature can rise quite strongly, and itching, especially at night, causes a lot of concern. If chickenpox causes inconvenience to your baby, it is quite possible to help him, naturally, in consultation with a doctor.

Paracetamol or ibuprofen in age-appropriate dosages are quite suitable as an antipyretic.

It should be noted that taking aspirin for chickenpox is strictly prohibited!

To relieve itching, you can use a lotion with zinc oxide or a cream (gel) with panthenol. Traditional use solution of brilliant green for chickenpox in in this case does not help in any way, with its help it is only convenient to mark newly appeared elements.

Also, in case of severe itching, it is permissible to use antihistamines taken orally (tablets, drops). But you should consult your doctor about their prescription.

As my experience shows, the most difficult days of illness are 3-6, after which new rashes end, the temperature drops and improves general health. If the weather permits and the body temperature is normal, you can walk, but it is better to be away from playgrounds.

In general, chickenpox in childhood is not dangerous and almost always provides lifelong immunity. With proper treatment and treatment, it will not cause much inconvenience. But if any symptoms alert you (very high and fluctuating temperature, very severe itching and rashes, it is impossible to avoid scratching), seek medical help without delay!

Currently, a vaccine against chickenpox has appeared, so those who want to avoid encountering this virus or those for whom chickenpox may pose a real threat (poor tolerance to high temperature, skin diseases, planned pregnancy in the absence specific immunity at expectant mother), may well take advantage the latest achievement medicine.

I sincerely wish all children to get through chickenpox as easily as possible, and for their parents to be calm, consistent and patient during this period. Health to all of you!