Chickenpox In Kids: Causes, Treatment And Prevention
Jump to:
- What is chickenpox?
- What causes chickenpox?
- Who is at a higher risk of getting chickenpox?
- What are the symptoms of chickenpox?
- When to call a doctor?
- How is chickenpox diagnosed and treated?
- How to care for your child at home?
- How to prevent chickenpox?
- Does chickenpox vaccine have any side-effects?
- What are the complications of chickenpox?
- FAQs
Did you know? Chickenpox affects around 3.5 million children and more than 4,500 children are hospitalized every year in the US alone (1).
Chickenpox is an irritating problem. Those red rashes are itchy, and your kid gets frustrated because they can’t go to school or play with their friends.
MomJunction tells you everything about chickenpox in kids – what causes it, its symptoms, the care you should take and more.
What Is Chickenpox?
Chickenpox (varicella) is a highly contagious infection caused by varicella zoster virus, a member of the herpes virus family. This virus is also responsible for shingles (zoster).
Chickenpox results in an itchy rashwithblisters all over the body and causes a fever.
[ Read: What Causes Smallpox In Kids ]
What Causes Chickenpox?
Chickenpox spreads easily from an infected person to others. A child will be infectious from one to two days before the blisters appear and until all the blisters have crusted over; usually around 7 days after onset (2). Your child may get chickenpox from:
- Direct physical contact with the blisters or its fluids of aninfected person (mainly) or
- By airborne or droplet spread ie. from exposure to air near to where an infected person coughed or sneezed or
- By mother to child transmission (rarely)
Therefore, keep your child away from family member/s or friend/s who are infected, especially if your child has a higher risk of contracting (getting) it.
What Are The Symptoms Of Chickenpox in Kids?
The most prominent symptom of chickenpox is the rash which starts as small red bumps which become blisters. This rash develops 10 to 21 days after being exposed to the virus. The child develops around 200 to 500 blisters.
The other symptoms that your child might have are:
- Fever
- Tiredness
- Loss of appetite
- Sore throat
- Stomach ache
- Headache
Other common causes of a rash and fever in children are measles (rubeola) and rubella (German measles).
More about the “blisters”:
- These are generally red, small, itchy and filled with fluid. Smaller blisters are called vesicles.
- First appearing on the trunk (torso) then back, head including the scalp and face.
- After two days or so, the first blisters may burst and scab but new ones appear.
- Commonly appear in the mouth cavity, on the eyelids & around the genital areas,
- Kids with skin diseases like eczema may even have around 1,000 blisters.
The blisters usually disappear in a few days. But you need to look out for certain symptoms, which need medical attention.
[ Read: Can Children Get Shingles ]
Who Is At A Higher Risk Of Getting Chickenpox?
Chickenpox mostly occurs in children around ten years of age. It is also more common in children with a weak immune system whether primary (born with) immunodeficiency or secondary to HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection, severe malnutrition or certain cancers and in children who are on certain medications eg. treatments for cancer or long-term or high-dose steroids which dampen the immune system response.
However, if you had contracted it previously or received the vaccine, then your baby is unlikely to catch the infection if she is less than one year of age, and is being breastfed. If she still does catch it, it is usually mild.
When To Call A Doctor?
Some children may suffer from a serious case of chickenpox. You need to call a healthcare provider in the below cases:
- The child has fever for more than four days
- The temperature is above 102°F (38.8°C)
- The rashes or any body part becomes red, warm or tender and leaks pus due to a bacterial infection on top of the the virus infection
- Extreme weakness and or Difficulty in waking up, walking
- Stiff neck or fits
- Difficulty breathing
- Non-stop cough
- Frequent vomiting
- Severe abdominal pain
Even if the child does not have the above symptoms, it is good to take your child to a doctor if you suspect chickenpox.
How Is Chickenpox Diagnosed And Treated?
The doctor will diagnose the case through a physical examination of the skin rash, mouth sores and other signs. They will ask you about your child’s medical history. If required, a blood test or test of fluid from a blister may be recommended, though this is rarely needed.
Treatment:
The treatment mainly focuses on relieving the symptoms.
- In severe cases, antiviral drugs are prescribed (3). Acyclovir is the main antiviral used to treat chickenpox. It should ideally be administered within 24 hours of getting the blisters (1). Antiviral drugs are generally not prescribed for healthy children who do not have severe symptoms. Children who are immunocompromised need antivirals. They may also be beneficial for kids with skin problems, like eczema.
- Over-the-counter oral antihistamines (that may reduce the itchiness) such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) may be given but talk to your doctor or pharmacist about their efficacy and safety.
- Do not use aspirin or other salicylates because certain viral infections like varicella and aspirin therapy might lead to a complication called Reye syndrome where the brain and liver is affected. Ibuprofen also does not work for chickenpox, so you may use acetaminophen (paracetamol) to reduce fever. Luke warm to cool baths can also help reduce the temperature.
- Lotions, gels and powders containing zinc (such as Calamine lotion), polidocanol (which numbs the skin and reduces itching), tannins and menthol can be applied on the skin to provide relief from the blisters.
Children with chickenpox need care and attention at home, in addition to lotions and creams.
[ Read: Common Skin Rashes In Children ]
How Can You Make Your Child Feel Better?
Make your child feel as comfortable as possible. You may take these measures at home:
- Make sure your kid is not scratching or rubbing the itchy rashes.
- Trim your kid’s fingernails short to avoid skin damage from scratching.
- Make them wear light, loose and cool clothes or bedclothes.
- Don’t make the child wear anything tight, or woolly, which could irritate the rashes.
- Give them a lukewarm bath daily. Use some soap, and wash thoroughly, but be gentle with their skin and dab them dry rather than wiping
- You may give them a relaxing cornstarch or oatmeal bath.
- Apply a mollifying (soothing) moisturizer on their body to soften the skin after bath.
- Make them gargle warm salt water to get relief from mouth sores.
- Avoid exposure to hot and humid weather.
- Serve cool temperature foods, and avoid foods that are sour, spicy or difficult to chew if the child has mouth sores.
- Give them extra water and other fluids to drink.
Chickenpox is not usually life-threatening. Approximately one in 50,000 cases lead to death. But by preventing the disease, you can rule out any possibility of your child going through this pain or of having serious complications.
How to prevent chickenpox?
Keep the child away from the family members or friends who have chickenpox. However, this may not be fool-proof because the virus is airborne and spreads easily even before the rash appears.
The best way to prevent chickenpox is through vaccination. Children who have never had chickenpox should get two doses of varicella vaccine; this is injected just under the skin (4).
- 1st dose: between 12 and 15 months of age
- 2nd dose: between 4 and 6 years of age.
MMRV vaccine is a combination vaccination approved for vaccination against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella in children 12 months through 12 years of age that is available in some countries.
However, the varicella vaccine should not be given if the child:
- Is allergic to any of the ingredients in the vaccine or had a serious reaction to the previous dose of the vaccine.
- Is immunocompromised (as described above) (except HIV positive children who are responding well to their treatment)
- Had a blood transfusion in the past 11 months.
- Has a fever or other illness at the time of vaccination, postpone this till recovery.
If your child shows any reaction after the vaccination, then take them to a doctor.
Children with weak immune systems (immunocompromised) especially HIV positive children should receive passive immunisation with a specific varicella-zoster immunoglobulin as soon as possible and within 96 hours (4 days) of being exposed to a person with chicken pox.
[ Read: What Are The Common Bacterial And Fungal Infections ]
Does Chickenpox Vaccine Have Any Side-effects?
Severe side-effects are rare with the chickenpox vaccine.
Some mild side-effects that might occur include:
- low fever
- Pain, swelling and or redness at the site of the injection
- mild rash similar to a chicken pox rash at the injection site or on the body
The benefits of the vaccine outweigh its side-effects because it prevents the child from having some complications resulting from chickenpox.
What Are The Complications Of Chickenpox?
Most children recover without complications.
However, after getting chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the body for a lifetime andas a result, about 1 in 10 adults contract shingles when the virus becomes active for a second time.
Other possible complications include:
- Dehydration
- Bacterial infection of the skin and soft tissues (5)Pneumonia (infection of the lungs)
- Encephalitis (infection of the brain)
- Also infections of the joints, stomach, liver, kidneys, heart and testis can occur
- Reye’s syndrome (described above)
A less serious, cosmetic complication of the rash, especially if the vesicles are scratched is skin scarring.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you get chickenpox twice?
It is rare to contract chickenpox twice. However, it cannot be completely ruled out. If chickenpox comes for the second time, it is usually a milder case but may happen if the child’s immunity is low.
2. Can my child go to school or play if she has chickenpox?
If your child has chickenpox, she should not go to school or play with other children until all the sores have scabbed. The Chicken pox virus is highly contagious and could spread from your child to the others.
Pregnant ladies, especially in the first few weeks of pregnancy, are especially at risk for their growing foetus being harmed if they get the infection, so should be extra cautious. Also if they develop Chicken Pox around the time of delivery there is a risk to their newborn baby.
[ Read: Loss Of Appetite In Kids ]
3. Can children who receive the chickenpox vaccine get shingles?
Shingles is usuallycontracted if the child has had chickenpox. The virus stays dormant in the body and can cause shingles years later (called reactivation). Although possible, children with chickenpox vaccine have a very small chance of getting shingles because it is a live weakened form of the virus that is being used. .
Chickenpox is a fairly common infection in older children. It usually does not have long-lasting harmful effects. The fever typically subsides in three to four days and the blisters are gone in around ten days. It is usually not life-threatening either. However, those itchy rashes, coupled with fever, could make your child suffer. You can help relieve the uneasiness through some home care, and soothing lotions.
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