Chicken pox- symptoms and treatment
- By:groshan fabiola
Varicella zoster is a virus that is part of the herpes family. This virus is responsible for some disease, the most known of all being chicken pox. This condition is more common in children, but adults can develop chicken pox as well. Chicken pox only strikes once in a persons life and it is best that this happens when you are a child. This condition is also highly contagious.
The incubation period of chicken pox is about two weeks. In this time your child will have no chicken pox symptoms. After the two weeks have passed, the first chicken pox signs will actually be symptoms very similar to those of the flu. A mild fever, some coughing and loss of appetite are the first chicken pox symptoms. Unfortunately, many of us do not realize that there are actually telling us that our child suffers from chicken pox. Precisely in this period, children are the most contagious. After a couple of days, chicken pox rash starts to appear on your child' s body. The first areas that are usually affected by chicken pox are the back and the chest. The chicken pox rash is at first just some tiny red and itchy spots, that will turn into blisters in a couple of day' s time. The blisters are filled with fluid and they will speared very quickly on the rest of your child' s body. There are chicken pox cases, where the child has only a few such blisters, but usually he/ she will have at least three hundred
chicken pox blisters. These then turn into crusts and then scab just a few days later.
Chicken pox treatment is mainly aimed at relieving the symptoms that your child has. Itching, which is one of the chicken pox trade marks can be relieved with antihistamines or with oatmeal or baking soda baths. If fever is also a chicken pox symptom that you child is has, then ipubrofen must be given to the chicken pox patient. Do not give your child aspirin, because it can increase the risk of developing Reye' s syndrome. Antiviral drugs may also be prescribed in chicken pox cases.
Another great thing is that now a chicken pox vaccine is available. This vaccine will not prevent your child from developing chicken pox, however it will make the chicken pox case a lot milder and it will also help prevent some of the chicken pox complications.About the author:
For more information about chicken pox vaccine or even about adult chicken pox please review this page http://www.chicken-pox-center.com/