Chickenpox (or chickenpox) is known as a disease that is most common among children and is characterized by the appearance of. People who know very little about the disease are convinced that it is impossible for an infected body to develop “lifelong” immunity, which prevents.

Symptoms of the disease

Chickenpox (sometimes called “smallpox”) is an acute infectious disease characterized by the appearance of a spotted vesicular rash on the skin and mucous membranes. This is one of the most common infections in childhood, much less common. Children of early school and preschool age are mainly infected. Before two months and after ten years, the disease is quite rare.

The causative agent of smallpox is a DNA virus that belongs to the herpesvirus family and the poxyvirus group. The infection is most commonly known as herpes virus type 3. The identity of the smallpox virus and the causative agent of herpes zoster has been established, since cross-infection and an immune response are observed.

The source of infection is an infected person - airborne droplets. In exceptional cases, transmission through the transplacental barrier is observed, resulting in the development of late fetopathy or congenital chickenpox.

The infection penetrates the respiratory tract, then into the bloodstream, where it multiplies during the course of infection. The virus is concentrated in the outer layer of the skin and the epithelial layer of the mucous membranes.

On average, the disease lasts two to three weeks, the outcome is usually favorable. However, with intrauterine damage, acquired or congenital immunodeficiency, the disease is very severe, and internal organs are affected.

Chickenpox begins acutely, with a febrile condition (temperature 37.5 0 C to 38.5 0 C). Rashes appear on the skin of the face, body, and scalp. The rash is represented by maculopapular elements, which after some time turn into oval or round single-chamber vesicles surrounded by a hyperemic corolla. The contents of the papules are cloudy.

After about two days, the papules break through, leaving crusts behind. The crusts gradually peel off, leaving no traces behind. Typical elements often appear on the conjunctiva, larynx, and external genitalia. The rash sometimes appears first on the mucous membranes and only then on the skin. On the feet and usually absent.

Possibility of secondary infection

After recovery from chickenpox, the body develops lifelong immunity to Varicella zoster (the causative agent of smallpox), so the risk of re-infection is minimal - this is rather an exception to the rule.

Innate immunity to smallpox, as well as to other viruses, is active for six to twelve months after the birth of the child. The herpes virus is transmitted through IgM (immunoglobulin) from the mother to the fetus in utero and then passes into breast milk. After some time, innate immunity disappears - then there is a risk of secondary infection. This occurs immediately after IgM is destroyed in the child’s body.

Acquired immunity to chickenpox is developed only after the disease has been suffered. The mechanism of acquired immunity is not well understood and is a complex process. Scientists have found that after an antigen enters the body, the immune mechanism is triggered in the form of the production of specific antibodies in accordance with the incoming antigen. Thus, after reinfection, a more effective and rapid immune response develops.

A similar mechanism is observed in diseases such as measles, mumps and some others. These diseases only occur once. Re-infection, although not impossible, is very rare. The reasons for this phenomenon have not been established.

Is there a danger for children?

In children, chickenpox is not as dangerous as in adults. Secondary infection is unlikely. Most often, the so-called “recurrent” chickenpox is shingles. In other words, the primary infection is chickenpox itself, and its relapses are already herpes zoster. Thus, the risk of re-development of chickenpox in the form of typical clinical manifestations is minimized.

Lifelong immunity is maintained. However, the infection moves to the paravertebral sensory ganglia and acquires a latent form (chronic persistence of the infectious agent).

The likelihood of further development is 10-20%, but the risk of activation increases with age. Persons over forty-five years of age account for over 80%.

Provoking factors for the reactivation of infection and the development of herpes zoster include hypothermia, prolonged exposure to the sun, ARVI, treatment with cytostatics, hormone therapy, as well as severe pathologies with severe immunodeficiency (blood diseases, HIV, etc.).

Unlike primary infection (chickenpox), with herpes zoster, the neurotropic properties of the pathogen come to the fore in the clinic. There are gangliotagmental, visceral, disseminated and ganglioneuralgic forms of the disease.

In some cases, doctors make mistakes when making a final diagnosis. A skin rash is mistaken for smallpox, although it can be a manifestation of other herpesvirus infections that have similar symptoms.

Similar to chickenpox, can cause some intestinal infections.

How to protect yourself as an adult

The mechanism of infection is the same at any age. If an adult had chickenpox as a child, the pathogen is in the body in “sleep mode” and can be reactivated under the influence of provoking factors. In this case, the chickenpox itself will no longer exist, but manifestations of herpes zoster will appear.

This is caused by reduced immunity and infection with other viral infections. The group of risk factors is complemented by older age.

It should be noted that when infected, so-called “non-sterile” immunity is formed. This means that the body's immune defense is maintained only in the presence of a pathogen. After chickenpox, the infection remains in the spinal ganglia of the cranial nerves for life. Thus, the virus, “sleeping” inside, is the body’s protector against recurrent smallpox.

If signs resembling chickenpox appear, you should consult a doctor, as these may be manifestations of another disease.

Vaccination: to do or not

The opinion of doctors is no different from what scientists have already managed to find out during research. Secondary chickenpox is nothing more than shingles, and it happens mainly in adults who suffered from smallpox in childhood.

As for, most pediatricians are convinced that it is better for a child to have chickenpox once in his life and develop natural immunity than to do it artificially.

Regarding adults (especially women planning children), the opposite opinion has developed: this category of patients needs to be vaccinated, since in older age chickenpox is much more severe, and there is a risk of intrauterine infection of the fetus.

Note for adults

So, the following has now been established: people get chickenpox once, most often between the ages of two and ten years. After infection, the pathogen remains in the body for life and thereby protects it from the recurrence of smallpox.

However, reactivation of the virus under the influence of unfavorable factors is not excluded. In this case, manifestations of herpes zoster are observed, which has a different clinical picture. Also, rashes can be mistaken for chickenpox, while they are signs of a completely different disease.

Can a child get chickenpox a second time? This question interests parents when they again see suspicious elements of a rash on the baby’s skin. Shock gives way to bewilderment. How so? He already had chickenpox! After all, everyone knows that you only get this infection once in a lifetime, or is that not true? Is this possible a second time and what could be the reason for such a reaction? Read this article.

Immunity after chickenpox

It is believed that immunity after illness is stable and lasts throughout life. Therefore, it is possible to get sick again, but it is extremely rare. There must be serious reasons for this. After treatment, the Varicella Zoster virus does not disappear from the body, but continues to remain in it, hiding in the nerve ganglia. Under certain conditions, hypothermia, stress, decreased immunity, the virus can become active again and appear in the form of itchy rashes. However, most often this occurs along the nerve trunks (large nerve fibers) and this disease is called herpes zoster. A chickenpox-type rash occurs extremely rarely. So, to the question whether a child can get chickenpox a second time, we answer positively. But we draw your attention to how small this probability is. What could be the reason for this?

Doctor's mistake

Yes, doctors also sometimes make mistakes in making a diagnosis. There are two options: either the last time your baby did not have chickenpox, but something clinically similar, or the diagnosis is incorrect the second time.

What are the signs of true chickenpox:

1. The rash does not appear all at once, but spreads over the first 4–5 days of the disease.
2. The elements of the rash are not the same; they go through stages of development, turning from a spot into a vesicle, which then opens and dries out to form a crust.
3. This infectious disease immediately affects not only the skin, but also the mucous membranes and scalp. In other words, rashes will be everywhere: on any part of the skin, under the hair, in the mouth, on the conjunctiva, and genitals.
4. The hallmark of infection is the formation of scars in place of healed elements.
5. The rash is very itchy.
6. A rash on the oral mucosa after the opening of the vesicles takes the form of ulcers - aft. They are a little painful and interfere with eating.

In searching for an answer to the question of whether a child can get chickenpox a second time, you may discover some incompetence of the doctor who diagnosed you last time.

Sometimes this happens if the initial examination was carried out by a pediatrician or general practitioner. To be 99% sure of the diagnosis, you need to consult an infectious disease specialist. And with a 100% probability, only the laboratory will give an answer after taking blood twice for a serological analysis, which will reveal an increase in antibody titers by 4 times or more.

What can chickenpox be confused with? With streptoderma, impetigo, herpangina, strophulus, generalized herpes simplex, as well as insect bites.

Infancy

Can a child get chickenpox a second time if he had it the first time as a baby? It is believed that the immune system is formed by 3, and for some, by 4 years. Therefore, if your older child once brought an infection, and the infant suffered from it, then his immune system may not have responded to the infection properly. And if the baby was breastfed at that time, then his mother’s antibodies helped him overcome the disease. One way or another, such a possibility exists, especially if the disease passed easily with minimal signs of intoxication and a mild rash.

Light form

There is an erased form of the disease, when the blisters are small and individually located, as well as an abortive form, when after the spot a blister does not form, but papules appear against a background of normal temperature. This is an atypical course of infection, during which immunity may not develop.

Immune problems

Another reason that can lead to the revival of a once defeated virus is acquired defects in the immune system:

• Acquired immunodeficiency.
• Oncological diseases, including blood oncopathology.
• Long-term treatment with glucocorticosteroid hormones.
• Chemotherapy.
• HIV infection.
• Transplantation of internal organs.

At the same time, the repeated course of the infection is severe; it often occurs with complications, layering of a secondary infection and exacerbation of existing chronic diseases.

Chickenpox is a disease whose virus penetrates the mucous membranes and brings a number of unfavorable symptoms. Chills, coughing, body temperature rise, and a rash forms that causes severe itching. Chickenpox lasts up to four weeks. The disease is popular among children. They come into contact with a large number of peers every day, playing outside or in kindergarten. For them, the virus is not as dangerous and does not cause harm as it does for adults. In most cases, a person is infected with this virus once and after recovery, he develops lifelong immunity.

It is extremely rare for a child to get chickenpox a second time due to a number of certain factors.

Doctors give an ambiguous answer to the reasons for re-infection. Much depends on how severe the illness was, at what age, as well as the general health of the patient. Is it possible to get chickenpox a second time in childhood or is this a myth - everyone needs to understand this issue in detail. After all, chickenpox itself causes a lot of inconvenience. At the very least, it means staying at home all the time, so as not to infect other people and not pick up additional infections. The body is in a weakened state and any change around causes stress.

Can a child get chickenpox a second time, reasons for re-infection

This is very rare, because it is known that strong immunity is developed. Relapse occurs again only for certain reasons, which may explain why recurrent chickenpox occurs in children.

The VaricellaZoster virus, which causes chickenpox, does not leave the body; it persists in the nerve ganglia. More often it remains there and does not manifest itself in any way; the following circumstances can provoke it: stress, hypothermia, a sharp decrease in immunity, especially for young patients.

Causes of re-infection with chickenpox in children:

• Immunity disorders caused by serious factors. For example, previous surgery, cancer, HIV, tumors, etc.
• Early chickenpox. There are cases when the disease has overtaken the baby. At this age, a full-fledged immune system has not yet formed. Symptoms are usually not pronounced and the disease progresses quite quickly. Therefore, the virus can enter the body after three years of age and chickenpox occurs again in children. Sometimes the symptoms are not so clear and parents do not understand what their baby was sick with. Indeed, with a mild form, you can confuse the disease with urticaria, allergies, bites, etc. For any uncharacteristic manifestations, call an ambulance.
• Doctor's mistake. Observing the initial symptoms, we go to the medical center. Secondary or primary chickenpox in children may be confused with another disease. Very similar to it: tonsillitis, herpes, streptoderma, measles. In this case, treatment will be ineffective and may cause harm. Therefore, if a child is diagnosed with chickenpox for the second time, seek additional advice from another specialist.

Features of recurrent disease

The symptoms of the virus are similar to those present the first time. However, they are more pronounced. Body temperature rises quite high and lasts a long time; it is difficult to lower it. It is repeated illness with chickenpox in children that can cause complications. The most severe cases that were registered by doctors: visual impairment, hearing impairment, meningitis. If a child has an allergy to something, it begins to worsen.

At the same time, doctors believe that if smallpox was initially severe, then with the next infection a mild form can be expected. But don't think that she is harmless. Any, even the slightest symptoms, can be dangerous for the body.

What to do if children have chickenpox for the second time

When a child becomes infected with chickenpox, each parent tries to find competent treatment and go to a medical center, especially if the child has chickenpox for the second time. In this case, it is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis by passing the appropriate tests. After this, a number of drugs are prescribed that are antipyretic, analgesic, antipruritic and antiseptic in nature. Since repeated chickenpox in children often has complicated symptoms, it is imperative to follow all the doctor’s recommendations. It is important to ventilate the room, give vitamins and ensure proper nutrition.

When to contact a medical facility

There is no doubt whether a child can have chickenpox for the second time - it is necessary to consult a doctor in time for a quality diagnosis. If you experience rashes, dizziness, or high body temperature, go to the hospital immediately. Only the doctor's answer will confirm whether your child may get chickenpox a second time or whether he has another problem. At the moment, there are a number of modern tests that will help in a short time to make an accurate diagnosis and determine whether chickenpox has caused painful symptoms or not.

Getting chickenpox twice is the exception rather than the norm. This infectious disease is considered to be a childhood disease and, as a rule, occurs in childhood. After recovery, a strong immunity is formed in the body, as doctors have always said. But the features of the formation of immune defense to chickenpox have not been fully studied. Is it possible to get chickenpox a second time as an adult? Let's try to figure it out.

Possible re-infection?

The virus that causes chickenpox enters the human body through airborne droplets. Having provoked a disease, it remains in the body forever. It is not enough for a recurrence of the disease, but it is enough for the constant production of antibodies to it.

Experts believe that it is the remaining virus that causes a disease such as shingles in adults. Unlike chickenpox, it can appear once, but many times. However, repeated cases of infection do occur. But this is more an exception to the rule than the norm. A person who had chickenpox as a child may get it again. The symptoms, incubation period, and all the features will be similar to the previous period of the disease, but the disease is mild and does not threaten complications.

Who is susceptible to infection?

Re-infection, according to statistics, occurs in adults after 25 years of age.

Re-infection, according to statistics, occurs in 5 to 20% of all cases. These are mainly adults over 25 years of age, although cases of infection in adolescents cannot be ruled out. As a rule, antibodies to a previous disease remain in the body forever. But there have been cases of their disappearance after 5 years. Therefore, repeated chickenpox returns for the second time mainly 10-20 years after its initial manifestation.

Reasons for repetition

The source of its appearance a second time may be a weakened immune system. Surgeries, severe stress, and exposure to complex diseases are favorable conditions for re-infection.

Symptoms

If you have had contact with an infected person and signs of illness appear, contact a specialist. The symptoms of the disease that appears in adulthood are no different from those suffered in childhood. Sometimes an adult has a stronger headache and a higher temperature than a child.
Asymptomatic disease occurs, but this is a rare case. Rather, one of the signs may be absent or the clinical picture may be blurred.

There is an opinion that if a child has suffered from an illness without visible signs, it is necessary to become infected a second time. This is a big misconception. It all starts with pain in the head, and there is soreness in the throat. Then the temperature rises, fatigue and general poor health appear. Characteristic rashes appear only 2-3 days after the initial signs. The secondary rash is less in number than the first time and appears within 2-7 days. The disease develops according to the following scheme:

• Loss of appetite, increased temperature, poor health.
• Rash with watery head. There is clear or cloudy water inside. When the rash appears, the skin becomes very itchy and itchy.
• Once ripe, small blisters begin to burst, forming ulcers.
• The ulcer gradually becomes covered with a crust.

You cannot pick off the crusts; they must dry out on their own and fall off.

The secondary manifestation of the disease from onset to recovery takes from 14 to 21 days. The immune system plays an important role in this case. If it is weakened, the number of days for acne to appear increases, and the recovery period is accordingly delayed.
The signs of shingles, which is mistaken for chickenpox, are significantly different:

• The first to appear is itching and pain in the place where pimples will subsequently appear;
• the rash does not cover the entire body of an adult, they are concentrated only in one place (side, leg);
• blisters are arranged in a chain;
• the heads of pimples can be filled with fluid, pus or blood, which depends on the complexity of the disease;
• the appearance of the rash does not last for several days, everything happens at one time, and spread to other areas occurs only when an infection occurs.

In both the first and second cases, the patient feels unwell. The two diseases are linked by severe itching and pain. In addition, the appearance is not pleasant and scars may remain. The infection is easily transmitted, as we have seen, even for those who have already had it. Therefore, it is necessary to limit live communication with others during repeated exacerbation of the disease.

Chicken pox is an infectious disease with airborne transmission caused by a virus of the Herpesviridae family and characterized by the obligatory presence of a maculopapular-vesicular rash.

Classification of chickenpox by the nature of the rash

• Typical;
• Atypical:
  • pustular;
  • vestigial;
  • bullous;
  • gangrenous;
  • generalized;
  • hemorrhagic.

Reasons

The chickenpox virus infects exclusively human cells, so the only carrier of the virus can only be a person. This viral disease has its own characteristics. In particular, his virus contains DNA, it is sensitive to ultraviolet radiation, and it is also easy for him to survive in conditions where the temperature of the environment in which he is located is quite low. Therefore, repeated thawing and freezing processes do not affect it in any way.

The virus has an airborne transmission route, that is, it spreads from the patient when he talks, coughs, sneezes, kisses, etc. Patients with chickenpox are able to infect other people approximately 20-24 hours before the rash appears and until the 5th day when the last rash was recorded. The chickenpox virus quickly dies in the external environment - under the influence of sunlight and ultraviolet irradiation. In the open air, the virus lives for about 10 minutes.

How long does chickenpox remain contagious?

The number of days that you can become infected affects not only the degree of infection of the carrier of the infection, but also the immunity of those potentially infected; with weak immunity, you can pick up almost absent particles of infection remnants; with strong immunity, it is possible to overcome a small attack of the virus. Also, with a high degree of immune protection in the sick person, the disease will leave him sooner, and also the period of spread will decrease significantly.

Based on average statistical indicators and the results of laboratory studies, it has been determined that, on average, chickenpox remains infectious for about 10-12 days from the day the virus enters the body. However, it should be remembered that safety measures related to protection against infection are never superfluous. The incubation period, according to scientific medicine, ranges from 10 to 21 days from the day of infection; chickenpox remains contagious about 5 days after the appearance of the last ulcer and its covering with a crust.

The contagiousness of chickenpox exceeds many other infectious diseases. At the same time, infection can only be achieved through very close contact, through airborne droplets; the patient should not be allowed to cough or sneeze in the presence of a person who has not yet had chickenpox.

Symptoms

Chickenpox occurs in 4 periods: incubation, prodrome, rash period and crust formation period.

The incubation period for chickenpox lasts: from 13 to 17 days for patients under 30 years of age, and from 11 to 21 days for patients over 30 years of age.

The incubation period itself can have varying degrees of duration, depending on the body’s preparedness to fight infection of a particular organism. The time and severity of the disease, as well as the period of contagiousness, are also different.

The prodromal period begins approximately one day before the rash: fever, pain in the lumbar region, and headaches appear. In children, there is most often no prodromal period, and the disease is expressed by the appearance of a rash.

How does chickenpox begin and what are its first signs?

The rashes in most children occur without any disturbances in the general condition; the manifestations of fever coincide with the appearance of the rash, since the rashes appear in waves, in several stages. In adults, the rashes are more often massive, at the same time the temperature rises, and severe itching appears.

Initially, the rash appears in the form of small spots, which literally after a few hours transform into a vesicle (vesicle) with redness around it. After two or three days, the vesicle bursts and dries out, and gradually becomes covered with a dense crust.

Considering that the rashes appear at intervals of one or two days, a rash in different stages of development (spot, nodule, vesicle, crust) can be observed on the skin simultaneously.

There are various forms of this disease. Chicken pox can be typical or atypical in form. The typical form of chickenpox is also divided into several types, such as mild, moderate and severe.

When a person has a mild form of chickenpox, in general he does not feel so bad. His body temperature does not exceed 38°. A relatively small amount of rash is observed on the skin, and a very small amount of rash is present on the mucous membranes. The rash only appears for 2 to 4 days.

If the patient has a moderate form of this infectious disease, then there is slight intoxication in his body. The onset of chickenpox is also characterized by increased temperature, but there are much more rashes on the body than in the first case. They occur over a longer period of time, approximately 4 to 5 days. In addition, the rash is itchy. When the blisters on the skin begin to dry out, the patient's general condition becomes more satisfactory, and his body temperature also returns to normal.

If the patient has a severe form of chickenpox, the rash is present in large quantities, and not only on the skin, but also on the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, nose and genitals. Rashes will appear on the patient’s body within a week, or even more. The temperature will be quite high. The patient's health will be so poor that he may experience negative body reactions such as vomiting, problems sleeping and lack of appetite.

Atypical forms of an infectious disease such as chickenpox can be of several types. These are rudimentary forms, as well as forms with non-standard symptoms and complications.

Most often, the rudimentary form of chickenpox occurs in children when they are only a few months old. It is characterized by the fact that they develop a small rash on their skin. At the same time, chickenpox in this form has practically no effect on the deterioration of the child’s well-being. The temperature may not rise above normal levels.

Forms of the disease with severe symptoms, that is, aggravated ones, are observed quite rarely. Usually those children who are weakened and have altered immunity are susceptible to them. For example, these may be children who have leukemia or who have been treated with steroid hormones for a long period of time. This type of chickenpox can end in death.

Another form of atypical chickenpox is generalized. It is accompanied by fever and an increased degree of intoxication, a large amount of rash, which is located not only on the skin and mucous membranes, but also on the internal organs.

If a patient has a hemorrhagic form, hemorrhages begin in the skin and mucous membranes, cases of nosebleeds, as well as hemorrhages in internal organs, are common.

The gangrenous form means the presence of a symptom such as the appearance of dry gangrene simultaneously with the appearance of rashes, after which a deep ulcer remains after it falls off.

Diagnostics

Diagnosing chickenpox most often does not present any difficulties. The diagnosis is established on the basis of clinical manifestations, taking into account epidemiology.

Treatment

During the entire febrile period, bed rest is mandatory. When treating chickenpox, antipyretic drugs and detoxification therapy are prescribed; if skin itching is present, antihistamines are indicated.

Suprastin: used for skin itching, urticaria, eczema, allergies, conjunctivitis. Available in the form of tablets, solution for intravenous and intramuscular administration. In tablet form, it should be taken three times a day, adults 75 milligrams per day, children 6.5 ml per day or half a tablet 2 times a day. The solution is made 1-2 ampoules per muscle for adults, half an ampoule for children. Suprastin should be used with caution in the elderly, people with impaired renal or liver function, and those who are underweight.

Tavegil - exists in the form of syrup, injections and tablets. Used for skin itching, urticaria, eczema. Taken orally 2 times a day, 1 mg for persons over 12 years of age. Up to 12 years: 0.5 mg 2 times a day. Injections are carried out intravenously or intramuscularly, 2 ml once a day.

Many people believe that it is wrong to smear chickenpox with brilliant green, since it is an alcohol-based antiseptic that dries out the skin greatly. Another disadvantage is that it stains bed linen and is quite difficult to wash. The advantage is that the brilliant green is clearly visible on the child, thanks to this it is possible to control the number of newly appeared spots. In addition to brilliant green, there are many other remedies, both in folk medicine and among medicines. Many of them are much more effective than the brilliant green solution.

How to apply chickenpox (except brilliant green)

• The most common and inexpensive remedy that helps better than brilliant green is a five percent solution of potassium permanganate. It dries out pimples and relieves itching, and can be used an unlimited number of times a day.
• Fukortsin - consists of boric acid, resorcinol, basic fuchsin, pure phenol, ethyl alcohol and distilled water. Take a small amount of the drug with a cotton swab and apply it to the “pimples” 4 times a day. After the product has dried, you can apply ointment on top of it. The product does not have a color that is very distinctive from the skin of sores, so it is not particularly noticeable.
• Methylene blue - has a blue color and is easily washed off from skin and things. For treatment, a 0.5-3 percent solution is used to lubricate the rash.
• Salicylic alcohol is much more effective than brilliant green. Used to treat skin diseases and skin lesions. This product is applied to the affected area using a cotton swab or cotton swab 3 times a day.
• “Zindol” contains zinc oxide, which acts as a drying and anti-inflammatory agent. It looks like a suspension from which you can make your own ointment for chickenpox. To do this, you need to put the bottle in a dark place and leave it for several days until a thick substance appears at the bottom. Afterwards, drain the top part, leaving only a thickened sediment. This ointment can also be applied to affected areas of the skin. Apply this product to the skin about 6 times a day.

How to smear chickenpox in the mouth of adults. Chickenpox in the oral cavity is accompanied by difficulty swallowing and the ability to spread the infection through the respiratory tract. To prevent this from happening, you should protect yourself with medications.

The mouth should be rinsed four times a day and always after meals. A solution of soda will help with this, which needs to be poured into a glass of water in the amount of two hundred grams. You can also add a weak solution of potassium permanganate, a decoction of herbs to the water: chamomile, yarrow, dandelion, sage; sodium sulfate, furatsilin, calendula or propolis tincture.

Anesthetic gels are used as an anesthetic, these include Kalgel or Kamistad. Calgel in an amount of 7 mm is applied to a cotton swab and spread on the affected areas of the mouth no more than 6 times a day before meals. Kamistad contains the components lidocaine and chamomile flower extract. The product is applied to the affected areas of the mouth in the form of a 0.5 cm strip and rubbed. The procedure should be carried out three times a day.

You can smear chickenpox in your mouth with a solution of boric acid three times a day. Using sea buckthorn oil or dental paste, a protective layer is formed on the affected areas, which will speed up healing and protect the oral cavity for four hours.

What is the best way to apply chickenpox? It is best to apply products that will quickly dry out the sores and disinfect them. In addition to the above remedies, there are also various balms, creams, gels, lotions and ointments for chickenpox. All of them help relieve itching. Lotions have a soothing and cooling effect and prevent the rash from spreading across the skin. Ointments act as an antiviral, antipruritic and anti-inflammatory agent. Gels are anti-edema, antipruritic and local anesthetic agents. The gel has a cooling effect.

If a premature baby or a patient with a weakened immune system gets chickenpox, antiviral drugs are prescribed. Careful hygiene is mandatory: taking baths with a weak solution of manganese, wearing ironed linen. To prevent scratching of blisters and infection, trim your nails.

The areas affected by chickenpox are treated with a disinfectant solution. If ulcers appear, antibiotics are prescribed. In order to speed up the falling off of crusts, ultraviolet irradiation is indicated.

A specific method of preventing chickenpox is vaccination, which provides lasting immunity to the disease for many years.

Current information on the availability of medicines in pharmacies in Ukraine can be found on our service.

What does chickenpox look like in children during recovery?

When the time of recovery comes, the rash begins to crust over and fall off without anyone's help. This situation indicates proper treatment; usually, after the crusts fall off, not a trace of the disease remains on the body.

Treatment for chickenpox is usually done on an outpatient basis. You should make sure that the child does not scratch the spots, try in every possible way to distract him from this; small children can wear special soft gloves on their hands. If the rash begins to fester, which usually happens when scratching, then the doctor will prescribe antibiotics. Be sure to provide the child with rest and bed rest. During illness, the baby should not be washed, as this may complicate the course of the disease; bedding should be changed as often as possible. Bathing can only be done in a bath with potassium permanganate for a few minutes; you can also take a shower, but not for long. A large amount of fluid will help with treatment.

If the child's body temperature is more than 38 degrees, antipyretic drugs based on paracetamol should be given. Antihistamines can help reduce itching. To disinfect the rash, the bubbles can be burned with brilliant green, and in this way you can also identify new spots that have appeared.

Complications of chickenpox

Quite rarely, in about 5% of cases, complications occur after chickenpox. As a rule, the disease is severe in adults with primary infection, in people with a weakened immune system, and also in infants. The most common complication is various skin infections - they develop if the wounds are scratched and bacteria penetrate them, and can be quite serious and require long-term treatment. Pneumonia, transient arthritis, hepatitis and encephalitis may develop. The latter is one of the most dangerous complications - inflammation of the brain, or encephalitis, can be caused by a bacterial infection or by the entry of a virus into the central nervous system. In the future, encephalitis can cause paralysis, visual and sensory impairment, and some other neurological disorders.

Chickenpox poses a slight danger to pregnant women - the risk of complications is quite small when infected before 20 weeks, after which there is practically no risk for the child. However, if infection occurs in the last week before birth, there is a risk of congenital chickenpox in the child, which is always quite severe.

Prevention of chickenpox

Prevention of chickenpox, however, is still a controversial issue in medicine. Some doctors do not consider it necessary, but it is still better to be prepared and know how to protect yourself from chickenpox.

The only way to help protect yourself from chickenpox, and that works 100%, is complete isolation from the source of the disease. However, this is practically impossible, because the patient is already contagious at the moment when no external manifestations can be noticed; but you need to remember that from the moment the crusts dry, the risk of infection is reduced to zero.

If there is a sick person in the family, you must not forget that the disease is easily transmitted by airborne droplets, which means that even in the absence of direct contact you can become infected. Gauze masks and respirators can reduce the risk. The patient must be in a separate room, all hygiene products, as well as cups, plates and other utensils must be individual. It is possible to use a quartz home lamp, but you must carefully follow the instructions.

Due to the fact that children of primary school age tolerate the disease quite easily, parents sometimes try to provoke contact between their child and the patient.

Since the seventies of the last century, the vaccine against chickenpox has been successfully and very effectively used - now the main prevention of chickenpox in children and adults is precisely this. Vaccination is especially recommended for pregnant women, patients after chemotherapy and people with a weakened immune system. The vaccination can also be done in the first three days after contact with the patient. In the event that an adult does not remember whether he had chickenpox, and there is no way to find out, it is better to play it safe and also get vaccinated.

No matter how insignificant the disease chickenpox may seem, prevention must be carried out. It is worth remembering that the main prevention of chickenpox in adults and children is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A proper balanced diet, regular exercise and the absence of bad habits will help keep the immune system in order, because it is responsible for how susceptible our body is to viruses and infections.

Is it possible to get chickenpox again?

“Lifelong immunity” after an illness is determined by the fact that the virus itself Varicella zoster- remains forever in the body in an amount not sufficient to cause an infection or infect surrounding people, but it is its presence that forces the body to constantly produce antibodies to fight chickenpox, which is why it is believed that the body of a person who has already been sick once - has antibodies always ready to fight, which means it is untouchable for this virus. There is an assumption that it is these particles of virus remnants that can serve to develop an infection such as shingles (which is considered to be the second chickenpox), this assumption has been made due to the fact that these two infections are based on the same virus Varicella zoster and can be related to one another, in addition, a person suffering from herpes zoster can infect another person with chickenpox, which proves the close relationship of these two infectious diseases. Shingles, unlike chickenpox itself, tends to appear many times, two, three or more, and can even become chronic if treated improperly and safety measures are neglected.

There is an opinion that chicken pox is a “children’s” disease, but shingles is a problem for the older generation, but this opinion is erroneous. Both diseases can strike at any age. The disease is considered to be a childhood disease, since this infection constantly circulates in various institutions intended for children, and in addition, it is even useful to have chickenpox in childhood, since a “lifelong” immunity to this type of virus appears; There are cases of diseases, but they are much more difficult to tolerate and have more consequences for the general condition of the body, as well as its appearance. Of course, if we consider separately cases of herpes zoster, older people are more likely to get sick, but the disease is much more severely tolerated than chickenpox in any age period.

It should be noted that cases of re-infection with chickenpox in the same form as originally were found in medical practice. Such repeated infections can be called exceptions rather than the rule. However, a person who was ill once in childhood can still be infected again. All symptoms, as well as the number of days of the incubation period and the course of the disease, will be the same, however, in most cases, the infection occurs in a milder and weakened form, and does not carry with it serious consequences, much less complications.

Chickenpox during pregnancy

Cases of morbidity during pregnancy are quite rare: 0.005-0.007 as a percentage. Fertilized women get sick no more often or more severely than non-pregnant adults, but when complicated by pneumonia (9-22%), mortality can reach 14-30-42%.

If a woman catches chickenpox while pregnant, she needs to know about the consequences. The virus enters the fetus through the placenta. How dangerous this is for the child depends on the period at which the disease occurred:

The first weeks are a high probability of miscarriage. It is during this time that all important organs begin to form, and any disease can cause harm. The virus affects the development of the cerebral cortex, can provoke cataracts, and there is also a possibility of developing limb hypoplasia. The probability of fetal underdevelopment is about 2 percent.

In general, the second trimester can be characterized by the fact that the risk for the woman and fetus is quite high, but decreases slightly, relative to the first trimester (1.5 percent) the child can get congenital chickenpox syndrome.

If the disease strikes in the period from the thirteenth to the twentieth week, the possibility of getting a child with this congenital chickenpox syndrome increases to 3-5 percent. In more detail about this syndrome: birth defects in the newborn are observed, such as scarred skin, deformed limbs, a smaller head than normal, and congenital visual defects. Incomplete development of unfortunate children entails lifelong consequences; in the future, children suffer from seizures and develop the makings of all kinds of mental and physical abnormalities at different stages of development. In the second trimester of pregnancy, the death of the embryo in the womb, as well as miscarriage, is still possible.

After 20 weeks, chickenpox does not have such a terrible effect on the fetus. Nevertheless, control over the course of the process is necessary - a specialist, namely a doctor. If a woman gets chickenpox at the beginning of the third trimester, it is more likely that the baby will not suffer any consequences. After about five days from the moment of infection, the body begins to produce antibodies to viral particles, and also protects the fetus with them through the placenta, which preserves the safe development of the child (since the fetus itself does not have a sufficiently developed immune system to protect itself on its own).

The most risky period during fruiting for chickenpox is the last five days before the onset of labor and the first couple of days after the birth of the baby. Since in this case the newborn is exposed to the virus, but does not have enough time to receive and protect itself with maternal T-lymphocytes (antibodies to fight the virus). In the last week before birth, chickenpox becomes the most dangerous for the health and safety of the child, since the newborn gets the disease, which poses a huge risk.

According to statistics, in 30 cases out of a hundred, a child gets neonatal chickenpox, which is dangerous to the health of the newborn and even his life if the disease is not treated in time. This infection is fatal. For pregnant women with chickenpox, in addition to the danger to the fetus, there are also unhappy prospects for herself; against the background of chickenpox, pneumonia can form, a rather disappointing statistic: in 15 cases out of a hundred, the disease leads to the development of pneumonia, which poses a terrible threat to female body (up to death before, after, and also probably during childbirth). We do not ignore the risk of giving birth before term. There is a significant tendency to easily get pneumonia in this state - it occurs in the third trimester of gestation. Of course, smokers are more likely to get complications compared to expectant mothers who do not smoke.

Treatment of chickenpox in pregnant women

As soon as you notice the first signs of chickenpox, consult a doctor immediately. Most likely, you will be prescribed immunoglobulin; it helps the body cope with the virus on its own, weakening the force of its impact. If you don’t want to get complications in a purulent form, don’t even think about allowing yourself to scratch the rash! If you are suffering from severe, unbearable itching, the doctor should prescribe you antihistamines. Rashes should be treated with green paint. Acyclovir has proven itself to be an excellent adjuvant in the treatment of chickenpox in pregnant women; it makes it easier for women to cope with this infection with the least discomfort and itching. At high temperatures, you can use drugs based on paracetamol (Before use, you must study the instructions in detail).