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By Colleen
Davis Gardephe
Chicken pox
is a normal rite of passage for most children. But that doesn't
keep parents from having questions and concerns about their child's
illness. Here are some commonly asked questions about chicken pox
and answers to allay parents' fears.
1. What are the symptoms?
The most visible
signs of chicken pox are itchy, red lesions (250 to 500 on average,
though some children may have less) that surface on an infected
child's torso. The lesions may then spread to his face, arms, and
legs over a period of three to four days. Many children develop
a slight fever one or two days before the rash appears and experience
headaches, chills, and fatigue during the course of the illness.
2.
How is it spread?
Highly contagious,
chicken pox is spread by virus-laden droplets that healthy children
breathe into their bodies after an infected child sneezes or coughs.
Children can also come into contact with the virus by touching the
fluid-filled lesions of an infected child and then placing their
fingers in or on their eyes, nose, or mouth.
3.
How long is an infected child contagious?
An infected
child can spread the illness one or two days before the itchy rash
appears, and he remains contagious until all his lesions have crusted
over, which takes an average of five days. Once a healthy child
is exposed to the virus, it can take anywhere from 10 to 21 days
for the child to show symptoms.
Since it generally takes four or five days for the lesions to crust
over, a child should stay out of school for five or six days at
the most.
4.
Should I take my child to the pediatrician if I suspect he has chicken
pox?
You should call
your pediatrician first. Not all children with chicken pox need
to be seen by their doctor. Experienced parents, teachers, and caregivers
can usually identify the rash.
If, however,
your child is at risk for complications from chicken pox or develops
any of the following symptoms, he may need to see his pediatrician.
Consult his doctor immediately if:
The skin around
your child's lesions turns bright red and continually oozes fluid
Your child develops a persistent cough or has difficulty breathing
Your child develops any of the following symptoms: vomiting, confusion,
convulsions, persistent high fever, nervousness, extreme sleepiness,
or poor balance
5.
How can I treat chicken pox?
Your main goal
is to keep your child comfortable. To help relieve her itching,
add two ounces of baking soda or an over-the-counter packet of soothing
oatmeal preparation to her bathwater. Using a cotton swab, apply
calamine lotion lightly to the sores. An oral antihistamine, given
in the appropriate dosage for your child, can also help lessen the
itching.
To reduce your child's fever, use acetaminophen. (Consult your pediatrician
if your child is under age two.) Make sure your child drinks more
fluids than normal, and if she has sores inside her mouth, offer
her soft, soothing foods such as flavored gelatin and soup.
6.
Can scarring occur?
If your child
scratches the blisters before they heal, it can lead to infections.
Infected blisters can cause more-serious lesions that affect the
deeper layers of the skin and are more apt to cause scarring.
It's best to encourage your child not to scratch his sores. Trim
his nails in case he does scratch them, and use oatmeal baths, calamine
lotion, and antihistamine treatment to help alleviate his itching.
7.
Will my other children catch it?
If they've never
had chicken pox before and haven't received the new vaccine, your
children have about an 86 percent chance of contracting the virus,
according to the journal Pediatrics. Unfortunately, chicken pox
cases in a family that occur immediately after the first case are
often more severe.
Your newborn,
however, may be spared if you (the mother) have had chicken pox,
since for the first few months, babies carry their mother's antibodies.
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