How to get chickenpox?
Chicken pox is considered to be a very contagious and common disease. It is known that in childhood it is transferred in most cases easily, and for adults it can be a serious danger. And so some mothers do not mind if their kids got sick in the preschool period, forgetting about chickenpox until the end of life, because such an infection leaves a lasting immunity. What do you need to get chickenpox and can it be done without contact with the patient?
How is chickenpox transmitted
This virus causes the disease, which is attributed to herpes viruses. It is transmitted from sick children healthy airborne droplets. At the same time, susceptibility to the pathogen is very high (more than 90%), and because of its volatility, infection is possible tens of meters from the release of the virus into the child’s environment. If you are in the same room with a child during the infectious period, you can get chickenpox in 5 minutes.
Further, within 7-21 days, the disease will not manifest itself. During this period, called incubation, the virus develops in the mucous membranes and accumulates. As soon as it penetrates the bloodstream, the child’s general condition deteriorates and characteristic symptoms of chickenpox appear, such as increased body temperature and a bubbly rash.
Duration incubation period It differs from different children, so mother will have to be patient and only after at least a week to find out if the child has become infected with the virus. On average, it takes 2 weeks from contact with the causative agent to the first manifestations of chickenpox, and the minimum period through which the disease manifests itself is seven days.
You can also infect chickenpox if you touch the bubbles on the body of a sick baby, because they contain a rather high concentration of the virus. However, the transmission of chickenpox through third parties or objects is unlikely due to the low resistance of the pathogen outside the human body.
How to understand that a child has chickenpox
- At the very beginning, the disease manifests itself in the same way as other viral infections - weakness, dizziness, worsened appetite, sleep disorders, a sore throat and other nonspecific symptoms. So to determine that the child is sick with chickenpox, at first it will not work.
- However, rather quickly the body temperature of the crumbs rises, and a special rash appears on the skin. First she looks like, like tiny red spots that very quickly become papules (look like mosquito bites), and then - single-chamber bubbles with a red rim around. At the same time, new elements of the rash appear constantly, and only the appeared papules and already drying bubbles with a crust can be seen at the same time on one area of the skin.
- During the rash, the child suffers from a rather pronounced itch, and each successive “wave” of new bubbles is combined with a new rise in body temperature. Gradually, all vesicles become covered with crusts, which disappear within two to three weeks and, if the rash is not combed, no traces remain.
How to plan a period of illness
In order for a child to catch chickenpox from a sick baby for sure, you need to know about the time when a person who is sick with such an infection is as infectious as possible for others. This information is also important for moms who want to protect their baby from chickenpox, for example, if there will soon be a birthday celebration or an interesting trip.
Baby becomes contagious with chickenpox on the last day of the incubation period, but it is impossible to find out at this time that the baby is already sick. Surely you can be sure that chickenpox is available only when symptoms characteristic of this infection occur. At the same time, a sick child will release the virus not only during the most active period of the disease, when the body temperature is high, and “fresh” bubbles constantly appear on the body. The baby is considered contagious and for five days after the moment when the new elements of the rash no longer appeared.
Vaccination
A safer option to “acquaint” a child with the chickenpox pathogen is called inoculation from such an infection. After the introduction of a weakened virus in children develops a strong immunity, as after a past illness. In this case, the crumb will be protected from the complications of the disease, as well as from relapses in old age, which are called shingles, because the virus is not completely destroyed, but remains in the tissues of the child’s nervous system for life.
Two similar drugs are used for vaccination against chickenpox - the Belgian vaccine Varilriks and the French drug Okavaks. Both vaccinations are injected subcutaneously or intramuscularly in the shoulder area. But, since this vaccination is not included in the list of mandatory, parents should purchase the vaccine on their own.
The value of chickenpox vaccination increases as your baby grows up, since adolescents and adults in many cases suffer such a childhood infection very hard and with many complications, as well as scarring on the skin. In this case, children younger than 13 years old are enough to vaccinate against chickenpox once, and at the age of 13 years for full protection two injections are required.
