Chickenpox was once a common disease among children with a high incidence rate. Although the incidence rate is not as high as before, it is still necessary for parents to understand that once the children in the family are unfortunately recruited, they can be found as early as possible and isolated as early as possible to avoid infecting more children. Especially for families with two babies, we must try our best to prevent the virus from spreading between the two children. Is the child chickenpox? Although chickenpox can be accompanied by fever and unique itchy rash, However, several diseases that may occur in young children are accompanied by fever and rash. Even doctors cannot immediately judge whether a child has chickenpox after a rash. It is safer to do so: If an abnormal red rash suddenly appears on the child’s skin, It is best to isolate the child for a day. The hallmark of chickenpox is the three-day pattern of rash-blister-scab: Day 1: Red rash on the first day you will find 5 ~ 20 red rashes on your child. These rashes look like mosquito bites. Children may feel itchy, And a fever. At this point, You are going to isolate the child at home. The next day: The day before the blister, the red papules on the skin turned into small transparent, liquid-filled blisters. At the same time, rashes are increasing. It spreads all over the trunk and starts to spread to the upper arms and legs. Children will feel itchy, Accompanied by fever. Day 3: The rash that scabs first appears after turning into blisters, will break off and begin to scab on the third day. At the same time, there are new rashes and blisters, which will last for 3-4 days. After finding the rash, it is suggested to observe at home for one day first, and go to see a doctor again the next day, so the doctor is easier to diagnose whether the child is chickenpox. How to do with chickenpox? Chickenpox is a self-limiting disease, In other words, Even without any treatment, Generally, it can be recovered in about 10 days. What parents can do is under the guidance of doctors. A number of measures have been taken, Make the child comfortable, Avoid more serious complications. 1. There are many ways to relieve itching and varicella: Take diphenhydramine orally, It is the most effective way to relieve itching. Apply a cold towel to the place where it is especially itchy. When itching is severe, you can apply calamine lotion to the skin. Breaked chicken pox can be applied with antibiotic ointment. 2. Limit scratching Excessive scratching may lead to bacterial infection of skin. If the child cannot control the desire to scratch, You can cut your nails short, Reduce scratch trauma, Or give the child long sleeves, trousers, Make it less easy for him to reach chickenpox. 3. Don’t worry about reducing fever. Reducing fever won’t shorten the time the child gets sick. As long as the child is not very miserable, The body temperature does not exceed 38.5 ℃, Don’t try so hard to use antipyretics. If the fever makes the child very uncomfortable, Or the temperature exceeds 38.5 ℃, Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can be used to reduce fever. Note: Avoid aspirin. Giving aspirin to children during chickenpox or flu may lead to a rare life-threatening adverse reaction: Reyes syndrome. 4. Antiviral drugs Acyclovir (prescription drugs, ointments, injections and tablets) can control the development of chickenpox and accelerate the recovery of the disease. 5. After 24 hours of isolation without fever and all blisters are scabbed, the child can return to normal life. What if the child is exposed to chickenpox virus? If you hear about chickenpox at a kid’s playmate or at school, You have to be careful. Chickenpox. Before you get a rash, It is also contagious to some extent. The incubation period of chickenpox is 10 ~ 21 days. This means that people who have not been vaccinated may not develop varicella until 10 to 21 days after exposure. If the child may be exposed to the virus, Check him every day before letting him out, Once he starts to have a fever or discomfort, It should be quarantined immediately. You can also take these measures: Vaccinate the child. If the child has already been vaccinated, Then you have nothing to worry about. But sometimes, The vaccine is not fully effective, Children may still develop mild chickenpox. If the child has not been vaccinated before, You can also get him vaccinated within 72 hours of exposure to the virus, Then he will probably not be ill or have mild symptoms. Consult a pediatrician, Whether to prescribe antiviral drugs for children, And consult what on appropriate coping methods. Prompt signs of serious illness Although most children with chickenpox can recover safely (the death rate is only 1/65,000), However, we should be careful about some rare complications: 1. Bacterial skin infection If you notice which chickenpox is particularly red, Or a day after the blister broke, the scab was still exudating, That may mean a bacterial infection. Fever over 5 days is also a sign of a bacterial infection. You can find a doctor to prescribe some topical or oral antibiotics to deal with bacterial infection. 2. Pneumonia pneumonia is easy to occur at the end of chickenpox. Symptoms of pneumonia include shortness of breath, laborious panting, worsening cough, Or moaning while breathing. In the above situations, See a doctor in time. 3. One of the rare complications of chicken pox infection in the brain is the spread of the virus to the brain. This can lead to severe headache, dizziness, stiff neck, difficulty walking and other neurological symptoms. If the child has the above symptoms, Please go to the emergency room. 4. Neonatal infection If you have been vaccinated against chickenpox, Then you don’t have to worry about being exposed to varicella virus during pregnancy. However, If a woman who has not been vaccinated is exposed to varicella virus during pregnancy, the fetus may have problems. Please contact an obstetrician immediately in case of this situation. Another dangerous situation is the outbreak of varicella at the end of pregnancy (5 days before labor to 2 days after the baby is born). In this case, the newborn will suffer from severe varicella and may even be fatal.
