Treating Chickenpox
By: Naomi West
When you are a child there are definite health conditions that just cannot be averted. At least once you experienced the cold, flu, and of course the chickenpox. Anyone who has ever received the chickenpox can verify how nerve-racking this medical condition is. We almost wish that our children will never have to go through it - but it appears necessary.
Chickenpox is also referred to as varicella and is one of the most exceedingly transmissible infections. It will usually bear upon children from the ages of 5 to 10 - but it is possible for older minors to be touched if they have never had it before. In most cases people who had chickenpox as minors will be unresponsive to it in the future.
Yet, there are particular cases in which a person’s immune system was not able to take away the chickenpox virus completely from the body. It is able to do this by hiding out on the skin sensory nerve cells where the immune system is not able to detect it. When the virus is released and travels the whole of the skin nerve fiber it will make a very disagreeable rash known as shingles. This is a disease that usually only affects adults.
The chickenpox infection can be spread through directly impacting somebody who is infected or through respiratory droplets from the infected person sneezing or coughing. Research shows that 90% of people who are exposed will develop the infection. It may take up to 14 days for the symptoms to display themselves.
The infection will cause a rash and small blisters that are loaded with liquid that will break open and then scab over. Symptoms of chickenpox include; fever, itchiness, headache, dry cough, discomfort, loss of appetite, and stomach pains.
Most people believe that the chickenpox vaccine will help to protect their kid from ever having this infection. However, it helps to lessen the symptoms and gears up their immune system so that when it does contract the virus it can drive it out easily and quickly.
The majority of kids who have chickenpox are able to be treated within their home. There are several different treatments that will help to not only treat the infection - but also relieve some uncomfortableness from your child.
In order to relieve the pain and itchiness from the blisters you can apply a cold compress and gently place it on the worst parts of their bodies. Calamine lotion should be placed on each blister to help it heal quicker and relieve the itching. Never use lotions that are made with benadryl.
Cool water baths with baking soda should be given to your kid every four hours. This will serve to keep them from scratching by assuaging the itch. You can also apply Aveeno oatmeal bath in place of baking soda.
In little youngsters you should make them wear mittens to keep them from scrubbing the blisters. Older children should trim their nails down. Rubbing the blisters can cause infection and prolong the healing process. Any fever should be treated with ibuprofen or Tylenol. Make sure that the medicine you apply does not contain any aspirin because this could cause Reye syndrome.
Some children may have blisters inside of their mouth. This can make it very difficult for them to drink or eat anything. You need to make sure that they drink or else they will become dehydrated. Try giving them milk shakes and smoothies to make it easier.
Many parents will seek the Chickenpox Vaccine to help their child deal with this infection and heal faster than normal. Doctone has more information on ways to help your children through different medical conditions.
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A Simple Guide To Chickenpox
What is Chickenpox?
Chickenpox is a mild illness common among children but can occur at any age.
A fever appears followed by an itchy rash of spots that look like blisters all over the body on the second or third day and may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms.
What causes Chickenpox?
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus.
What are the Symptoms of Chickenpox?
Chickenpox usually starts with a mild fever of 37.7 - 38.8 Celsus with or without headache.
It is followed by a red, itchy rash on the skin that usually appears first on the abdomen or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body.
The rash begins as multiple small, red bumps and rapidly develop into thin-walled blisters filled with clear fluid, which becomes cloudy. The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores, which finally crust over to become dry, brown scabs.
Chickenpox blisters can also occur in the mouth causing pain and discomfort when eating.
Some children have abdominal pain, sore throat, headache,and in some cases a severe cough.
Younger children often have milder symptoms and fewer blisters than older children or adults.
When is Chickenpox contagious?
Chickenpox is contagious from about 2 days before the rash appears and lasts until all the blisters are crusted over.
A child with chickenpox should be kept out of school until all blisters have dried, usually about 10 days.
Chickenpox is very contagious most kids with a sibling who's been infected will get it as well, showing symptoms about 2 weeks after the first child does.
To help keep the virus from spreading, make sure your children wash their hands frequently, particularly before eating and after using the bathroom.
And keep a child with chickenpox away from unvaccinated siblings as much as possible.
Pregnant women and anyone with immune system problems should not be near a person with chickenpox. If a pregnant woman who hasn't had chickenpox in the past contracts it (especially in the first 20 weeks of pregnancy), the fetus is at risk for birth defects. If she develops chickenpox just before or after the child is born, the newborn is at risk for serious health complications.
How to avoid getting Chickenpox?
Since May 2006, after FDA approval of the vaccine, Doctors recommend that kids receive the chickenpox vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old and a booster shot at 4 to 6 years old. The vaccine is about 70% to 85% effective at preventing mild infection, and more than 95% effective in preventing moderate to severe forms of the infection.
Healthy children who have had chickenpox do not need the vaccine they usually have lifelong protection against the illness.
How to treat Chickenpox?
Treatment of Virus:A virus causes chickenpox, so the doctor won't prescribe antibiotics. However, antibiotics may be required if the sores become infected by bacteria.
The antiviral medicine acyclovir may be prescribed for people with chickenpox who are at risk for complications. The drug, which can make the infection less severe, must be given within the first 24 hours after the rash appears.
Treatment of Symptoms:You can help relieve the itchiness, fever, and discomfort of chickenpox by:
1. Using cool wet compresses or giving baths in cool or lukewarm water every 3 to 4 hours for the first few days.
2. Patting (not rubbing) the body dry.
3. Putting calamine lotion on itchy areas or acyclovir cream lightly over the rashes
4. Giving your child foods that are soft and bland because chickenpox in the mouth may make drinking or eating difficult.
5. Make the child drink lots of fluids
6. Anti itch medicine like antihistamine or pain relieving medicine like paracetamol may be given to relieve itch or pain.
7. As much as possible, discourage scratching. This can be difficult for the child, so consider putting mittens or socks on your child's hands to prevent scratching during sleep. In addition, trim fingernails and keep them clean to help lessen the effects of scratching, including broken blisters and infection.
What are the complications of Chickenpox?
Typically, chickenpox is a mild illness, but can affect some infants, teens, adults, and people with weak immune systems more severely.
Some people can develop serious bacterial infections involving the skin(especially in children with eczema), lungs(pneumonia) and the brain (encephalitis).
What is the outlook for Chickenpox?
Most children recovered completely from chickenpox within 7-14 days of the onset of symptoms.
Adults may take a longer time to recover(10-21 days) and the symptoms are more severe.
Pox marks due to infections of the skin and deep scratching of blisters may remain and serve as a reminder of chickenpox.
A person usually has only one episode of chickenpox, but the virus can lie dormant within the body and cause a different type of skin eruption later in life called shingles (or herpes zoster).
About the Author:
Kenneth Kee email: kwk481@gmail.com website: http://www.kennethkee.comhttp://kennethkee.blogspot.com http://dotkee.110mb.com http://mirage800.110mb.comhttp://success.myweb.io http://mirage.myweb.io Profile: A newbie to world of internet marketing. At the age of 59 years, I am struggling to learn the in and outs of online marketing. I am a educator,part-time healthcare worker,computer hardware hobbyist,now ebook writer and internet marketer. I am also a full time lifelong learner. Graduated in 1972, did my Masters in 1991 and doctorate in 1993.
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Shingles Symptoms - and Treatments
By Ivan Hince
I can remember quite clearly some forty years ago when a friend told me that her husband had Shingles, and how that he was in great pain, and covered in a terrible rash. At this point I thought nothing about it until recently I was reading an article which compared different types of pain, and Shingles was mentioned.
As I write many different articles about medical health I began to check out what caused it, and why it was ranked as one of the most painful things you can get, so I began to investigate what the symptoms were, and what treatment was available.
Shingles comes from the same virus as the well known Chickenpox which lays dormant in anyone that has had chickenpox, or that has had the chickenpox vaccine. It normally affects older people where the dormant virus travels to the nerve endings in the skin area. From there the pain starts, and often patients have described the pain as coming in extreme waves that have been likened to that of an electric shock. After this stage the rash appears, which will blister and become very painful. These blisters can be full of bacteria, and great care should be taken with cleanliness.
What causes Shingles?
Several Doctors have different ideas on the causes of Shingles, but if the truth they don’t know. Some say it can start from stress, while others relate it to Cancer, or HIV. Radiation is another possibility, and also mentioned would be that it could be that part of the skin has been damaged in some way that sets the virus off. The most likely cause in my eyes is that the immune system gets severely run down, and that the virus which is normally kept at bay by our immune system, then breaks out.
Shingles Symptoms.
The things to look out for are extreme sensitivity in the skin, which tend to have a burning sensation, and slight itching. After this stage the skin becomes painful, and if you think that you may have shingles a call to your Doctor must be made, as the sooner an antiviral medication is given the easier for the patient it will be.
Care must also be taken should the patient have a form of rash near the nose, or on any part of the face. This is most important to get immediate medical help, as if the virus reaches the eyes it can lead to impaired vision, or a complete loss of sight.
Medical care.
With Shingles the sooner you get medical care the better for the patient it will be. Pain killers are a must, along with things like Antihistamine can help with the itching. Often the Doctor will recommend creams or oils that can stop the blisters from drying out to fast, and in several articles it is believed that cold water compresses bring great relief, and keep the skin moist.
If possible avoid contact with others that have not had chickenpox, especially if that person is older, and try to wear loose clothing that doesn’t irate the skin.
To read more articles on Medical or Alternative Medicine please go to the following website. http://www.find-the-info.com
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