Chickenpox can also be more serious for pregnant women, older people, newborn babies or people with a weakened immune system. Complications of chickenpox can include lung infection pneumonia , inflammation of your liver hepatitis and infection of the brain encephalitis.
Sometimes the chickenpox spots get infected with bacteria — probably from scratching. This is more common in children. Chickenpox spots can sometimes leave scars, especially if they become infected. Signs of a bacterial infection include a high temperature fever and redness and pain around the chickenpox spots.
Seek urgent medical help if you or your child develop these symptoms. Young children can also be at risk of becoming dehydrated. Signs of dehydration include peeing less, feeling very tired and cold fingers and toes.
If your child shows these signs, call a doctor straightaway. If you get chickenpox late in your pregnancy, especially around the time you give birth, your baby could get chickenpox too. Women who are pregnant are also more likely to get complications from chickenpox, such as pneumonia. You should already be immune. Your GP may give you treatments that can reduce the severity of the infection if you do get it. See Treatment section above for more information. If you develop chickenpox, your GP may want to monitor you closely in case of complications, or refer you to a specialist.
Contact your GP or seek urgent medical advice from your midwife or health visitor if you get chickenpox within a week of giving birth. Your baby can be given injections of antibodies to help protect them against the infection.
Find out why children pick up so many viruses and illnesses during childhood, how to manage them and when to seek medical advice. They also discuss the implications of the pandemic on general immunity and if the vaccination programme will extend to children.
You might also have symptoms, such as a raised temperature fever , headache, sore throat and loss of appetite. This is usually around five days after the chickenpox rash appears. This is because you could pass on the infection to other people.
This includes healthcare workers and anyone in regular close contact with someone who has a weakened immune system. But at any time later in your life, the virus can be reactivated, causing shingles. Our short survey takes just a few minutes to complete and helps us to keep improving our health information.
At Bupa we produce a wealth of free health information for you and your family. This is because we believe that trustworthy information is essential in helping you make better decisions about your health and wellbeing. It also follows the principles of the The Information Standard.
It usually gets better by itself after 1 to 2 weeks without needing to see a GP. Chickenpox is very itchy and can make children feel miserable, even if they do not have many spots. Chickenpox is usually much worse in adults. It's possible to get chickenpox more than once, although it's unusual.
Check other rashes in children. You'll need to stay away from school, nursery or work until all the spots have crusted over. They may recommend a special appointment time if other patients are at risk. You may need medicine to prevent complications. You need to take it within 24 hours of the spots appearing.
Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Chickenpox? People who get the virus have: a fever a rash of spots that look like blisters They also might get a runny nose, cough, and stomachache. What Are the Signs of Chickenpox? How Does Chickenpox Spread? Itchy-Itchy, Scratchy-Scratchy If you are that unlucky person, how do you keep your chickenpox from driving you crazy?
These tips can help you feel less itchy: Keep cool because heat and sweat will make you itch more. You might want to put a lukewarm washcloth on the really bad areas. Trim your fingernails, so if you do scratch, you won't tear your skin. Soak in a lukewarm bath. Adding some oatmeal to your bath water can help relieve the itching. Have your mom or dad help you apply calamine lotion, which soothes itching. How Can I Feel Better?
Get a Shot, Avoid the Dots! Kids get the chickenpox vaccine as two shots: a first shot when they're 12—15 months old a booster shot when they're 4—6 years old But kids can get vaccinated when they're older too. Chickenpox known medically as varicella is caused by a virus called the varicella-zoster virus. It's spread quickly and easily from someone who is infected. Read more about the causes of chickenpox. Chickenpox is most common in children under the age of To prevent spreading the infection, keep children off nursery or school until all their spots have crusted over.
Chickenpox is infectious from one to two days before the rash starts, until all the blisters have crusted over usually five to six days after the start of the rash.
If your child has chickenpox, try to keep them away from public areas to avoid contact with people who may not have had it, especially people who are at risk of serious problems, such as newborn babies, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system for example, people having cancer treatment or taking steroid tablets. Read more about what you need to do to stop chickenpox spreading. Chickenpox in children is considered a mild illness, but your child will probably feel pretty miserable and irritable while they have it.
Your child may have a fever for the first few days of the illness. The spots can be incredibly itchy. There is no specific treatment for chickenpox, but there are pharmacy remedies that can alleviate symptoms.
0コメント