5 Things You Should Know About Chickenpox and Shingles
Overview
What is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is an infection that causes a skin rash. The disease is caused by a germ called varicella-zoster virus. (Chickenpox itself is also called varicella-zoster.) Nigh people will get the virus when they're immature if they haven't had a chickenpox vaccine.
A kid with chickenpox can easily requite the virus to other children. Chickenpox today is much less common because most children are vaccinated when they are young. Before the outset vaccine against chickenpox was approved in the U.S. in 1995, nigh everyone got chickenpox. Very few had complications.
Once you've had chickenpox, you won't catch it once more from another person. If y'all're not vaccinated, you can get chickenpox at any age. Adults who go chickenpox may become very sick, so it'south amend to have chickenpox when you lot're a child, or preclude getting information technology by beingness vaccinated.
How is chickenpox spread?
Children can get chickenpox at any age. After being exposed to chickenpox, your child may announced to be fine for one to three weeks before feeling sick. Children can spread the virus from one twenty-four hours before they evidence signs of disease to about five days afterward a skin rash appears.
The virus is spread by:
- Coming in contact with someone who has chickenpox.
- Breathing air from an infected person who sneezes or coughs.
- Coming in contact with fluids from an infected child'due south eyes, nose or mouth.
What is the difference between smallpox and chickenpox?
Chickenpox and smallpox are both diseases that produce rashes on the skin, but they are different. For one thing, smallpox is a much more serious illness, causing severe disease and expiry. They are acquired by different viruses.
While the two diseases both produce rashes, the rashes themselves develop at different times and the rashes look different. Smallpox pustules look the aforementioned equally each other, while the chickenpox rash develops in waves. The private spots don't look the same and some form scabs while others are still blistering.
There'due south another important difference. A massive global vaccination program has eradicated (wiped out) smallpox.
Symptoms and Causes
What are the signs and symptoms of chickenpox?
Signs of chickenpox are like shooting fish in a barrel to meet. Healthcare providers frequently tin look at a child's skin and know if he or she has chickenpox. Signs of chickenpox unremarkably happen in the following lodge:
- Fever.
- Feeling tired.
- Headache.
- A stomachache that lasts for i or two days.
- A peel rash that is very itchy and looks similar many small blisters.
- Bumps filled with a liquid that looks like milky water.
- Scabs after the blisters break.
- Skin that looks blotchy.
- Spots that fade away.
Diagnosis and Tests
How is chickenpox diagnosed?
Signs of chickenpox are easy to see. Healthcare providers often can look at a child's pare and know if they have chickenpox.
Direction and Handling
How can I help my child with chickenpox?
Make sure your child gets plenty of residue and fluids. Chickenpox will go abroad on its own in a week or two. To assist your child feel less itchy, y'all tin:
- Press a cool, moist rag on the rash.
- Keep your kid absurd.
- Encourage your child not to scratch. Trim their fingernails and so they can't scratch.
- Put a balm with antihistamines on the rash. These lotions are bachelor at the drugstore. If yous don't know what to buy, ask the pharmacist for assistance.
- Give your child an over-the-counter (OTC) form of antihistamine. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl®) and cetirizine (Zyrtec®) are two examples of OTC antihistamines.
- Give your child a cool bath or shower every day. Yous can also requite your child an oatmeal bath. When you're drying them off, don't rub with the towel. Pat your child dry.
Don't give your child aspirin. Aspirin tin can damage children who have fevers. If your child needs a hurting reliever, use acetaminophen (such every bit Tylenol®). If you're not certain what production to use, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.
To prevent dehydration, give your child fluids. Cold fluids and a soft bland nutrition will help if they have mouth sores.
What if my baby gets chickenpox?
If your newborn baby (upwards to age 3 months) gets chickenpox, let your healthcare provider know correct abroad. Chickenpox is more unsafe to newborns than to other salubrious people.
What complications are possible with chickenpox?
Complications from chickenpox are unlikely, but possible. They may include:
- Bacterial infections of the peel, blood, and soft tissues.
- Encephalitis.
- Pneumonia.
- Becoming dehydrated.
- Blood clotting or healing issues.
- Liver bug.
Who is more likely to take complications from chickenpox?
Healthy people who get chickenpox don't usually have complications. However, having a severe case of chickenpox could be more unsafe for very young babies, teenagers, pregnant people and people with amnesty bug, such every bit transplant patients. This group as well includes people with cancer or HIV or people existence treated with chemotherapy or steroids.
Tin can chickenpox be fatal?
It's very unlikely that you will dice from chickenpox. Nearly people recover without complications. However, people have died from chickenpox. In the U.S., that number has dropped to about 20 people per year after mass vaccinations from some 100 deaths per year before vaccines were available. Hospitalizations decreased 84% from over x,000 per year.
Prevention
Can my child go a shot to prevent chickenpox?
Aye, in that location's a vaccine for chickenpox. Information technology's recommended, then ask your healthcare provider about the vaccine.
What should I know nigh the chickenpox vaccine?
Two doses are recommended. When your kid is under the historic period of xiii, they should get 1 dose between the ages of 12 and15 months, and the second between the ages of four and six years.
If you lot're 13 or older and never got the vaccine, you should get two doses at to the lowest degree 28 days apart.
In that location is a vaccine that'southward simply for chickenpox called Varivax®. At that place is another chosen ProQuad® that protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV).
Vaccination is over 90% effective at preventing chickenpox.
Who shouldn't get the chickenpox vaccine?
There are people who shouldn't go the chickenpox vaccine. Y'all shouldn't get the chickenpox vaccine if you:
- Are allergic to the vaccine or to whatsoever part of the vaccine.
- Are pregnant or think you might be pregnant.
- Have problems with your immune organisation.
- Have tuberculosis.
- Aren't feeling well. (Become the vaccine when you feel ameliorate.)
- Recently had a blood transfusion or any other alive vaccines.
Talk with your healthcare provider about whether or not you should exist vaccinated.
Outlook / Prognosis
Can adults get chickenpox?
When children become chickenpox, their bodies fight the illness by making a substance chosen antibodies. The antibodies fight the virus and assist the body get well. These antibodies stay in your body throughout your life. If an developed comes in contact with the virus, the antibodies are there to fight the germ.
What are shingles?
In adults, the chickenpox virus (varicella zoster) can go active once again. When that happens, it causes an illness acquired shingles. People "catch" shingles from their own chickenpox virus. People who accept shingles can spread chickenpox to people who haven't had chickenpox. Notwithstanding, you can't get shingles unless you've had chickenpox.
Shingles is also called herpes zoster, but it's non the same as genital herpes. Similar chickenpox, it looks similar a rash made upward of small-scale bumps. Shingles tin exist painful and can take a while to heal. It will usually go abroad on its own in a week or 2. In that location are vaccines to prevent shingles. Talk to your healthcare provider to see which 1 is correct for you.
Living With
When should you call your healthcare provider if your kid has chickenpox?
Call your healthcare provider if your child:
- Is acting ill and has a astringent headache.
- Has sores in their eyes.
- Has sores that get bigger or have pus in them.
- Has difficulty breathing or is breathing very fast.
When can my child go back to school?
Your kid can become back to schoolhouse nearly 7 to ten days later the rash appears. You don't need to wait for the scabs to heal, simply y'all practice need to wait until all the blisters take scabbed over. You're contagious while the blisters have fluid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the iii stages of chickenpox?
The three stages of chickenpox normally refer to the style the rash looks. Phase one is a red and bumpy rash. Stage ii is the fluid-filled blistered rash. Phase three is when the blisters break and scab over.
Where does chickenpox usually start?
You usually starting time getting chickenpox on your face and trunk (your chest and your back). From at that place, it spreads to the residuum of your torso.
Tin I get chicken pox twice?
Information technology's rare for anyone to get chickenpox twice, but it can happen.
How many days does it take to recover from chickenpox?
Chickenpox normally goes away afterward 10 to 14 days.
A note from Cleveland Dispensary
Before the vaccine for chickenpox was adult, the infection caused deaths and hospitalizations. The available vaccine is over 90% constructive at preventing this in one case-common childhood illness. If you lot don't get chickenpox, you lot won't get shingles, a painful condition that happens because the virus that causes chickenpox stays in your body long afterwards the rash is gone. While there are home remedies to deal with chickenpox and shingles symptoms, vaccination makes that unnecessary.
Source: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4017-chickenpox
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