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Every child gets chicken pox at least once. It is a common, contagious disease in the form of blisters all over the body. Those blisters can cause itching and scratching can cause them to become inflamed. Watch for the following symptoms if you think your child has infected chickenpox.
Chickenpox is caused by a virus that is contagious. First, your child will get a cold, so they are already contagious. Within three weeks, you will see spots on your child that turn into blisters. Those blisters, chickenpox, are also contagious. If your child feels well, he or she can go to school or daycare with chicken pox. In fact, the infection period is before that, so other children are often already infected. Often the blisters dry again after about ten days and are no longer contagious.
Inflamed chicken pox
With a normal course of chickenpox, your child is not very sick, although the itching can be annoying. One child may have only a few chickenpox while another child is covered in blisters. Sometimes the blisters are also in the mouth, which can be very painful. As a result, children sometimes don’t want to eat. This is not a big deal, as long as your child gets enough water so they don’t become dehydrated.
In only five percent of cases, chickenpox can become inflamed. This can be especially dangerous for babies and pregnant women. You can recognize this, for example, because large red or purple spots appear around the blisters or scabs.
Preventing inflamed chickenpox
To prevent chickenpox from getting infected, it is important to keep your child’s nails short so that it is more difficult to scratch open the blisters. Scratching actually causes more itching and there is a chance that the chicken pox will get infected. Due to bacteria that can get into the wounds in combination with the already low resistance, your child can get very(er) sick.
In recent years, some children have become seriously ill from infected chickenpox, some have even died from it. Therefore, pay close attention to your child when he or she has chickenpox, be alert. In any case, go to the doctor if your child’s fever returns, if there is a red spot on the skin that keeps getting bigger or if your child gets sicker and sicker. If you are unsure about your child’s clinical picture, always call the doctor for advice.
What to do with chicken pox?
Chicken pox will go away on its own. If the blisters bother your child very much, you can use a cooling lotion or zinc ointment. Sometimes a lukewarm bath with oatmeal helps with the itching. Gently pat your child down with a towel so the blisters don’t break. Do not apply products to blisters that are open or to inflamed chicken pox, which can sting.
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Disclaimer
We are an informational platform and our editors have no medical background. Although we write about health complaints and conditions based on scientific sources, we cannot give advice regarding the health of our readers. Do you have questions about your or your child’s health? Do you, or does your baby, suffer from medical complaints? If so, contact your doctor or the family doctor’s office.
This article previously appeared with our colleagues at J/M Parents.
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