How to recognize chickenpox

How to recognize chickenpox (chickenpox)? Chickenpox is caused by the varicella zoster virus which belongs to the herpes virus group. It is classified as a highly contagious disease that most commonly affects children aged 3 months to 10 years. It can also occur in sensitive people with weak immunity and people who have not been vaccinated. In most cases, the disease has no serious consequences. It causes a rash on the skin in the form of small red water bubbles that itch a lot. These blisters appear on the skin all over the body, and the temperature lasts for an average of four days.

The most common form of infection is contact with a viral particle present during sneezing, coughing, and direct contact with fluid in the blisters. It is less likely to be transmitted by contact with an object used by a sick person. Even before symptoms appear, an infected person can pass the disease on to others. It occurs during the spring and winter seasons and is considered an endemic disease. Reactivation occurs in situations where, for example, a person’s immunity weakens with age. Knowing how to recognize chickenpox it is crucial for prevention and treatment.

How to recognize chickenpox in children and adults

When the virus enters the respiratory system, the first symptoms of the disease appear two days before the characteristic rash. How to recognize chickenpox in children and adults? The main symptoms of chickenpox are: fever, malaise, itching, headache, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, discomfort. The appearance of skin rash begins after the incubation period and lasts between 9 and 21 days. They develop very quickly into bubbles with liquid contents that create wounds. When they itch then there is a possibility of scarring if they become infected. These bubbles burst and form a crust in the healing process.

The blisters most often first appear on the face, head and abdomen and then spread to the rest of the body, which is one way to recognize chickenpox. They can sometimes appear inside the lips and on the genitals. Before the rash disappears, it usually lasts for five days. Children can have 250 to 500 blisters, and sometimes just a few. Chickenpox can cause serious complications if left untreated or when a person has weak immunity. In every tenth person the virus can be reactivated leading to herpes zoster in adulthood, infections of pregnant women, infections of newborns if the mother has not received the vaccine, Reye’s syndrome, secondary infections, pneumonia, encephalitis.

How to recognize chickenpox and what is the treatment?

How to recognize chickenpox and what is the treatment? For a correct diagnosis, a specialist doctor needs a simple examination and observation of the symptoms, especially when a skin rash is present. When in doubt, additional blood tests and collection of fluid from the bladder are performed. Treatment of chickenpox is carried out by medical recommendations to alleviate unpleasant symptoms. As a rule, antipyretics are attributed, and the use of antihistamines is also present. Adults and people over the age of 12 receive special medications because the complications of the disease in these groups are much greater.

After the infection, the person must stay at home, away from contact with others and wait for the lesions to heal, and only then resume normal activities. How to recognize chickenpox and prevent it? Since it is a viral disease, the best prevention is a vaccine. Vaccination of children older than 12 months is recommended. Also, adolescents and adults who do not have chickenpox should be vaccinated. Because adult infection is more severe and there is a possibility of mother-to-child transmission of the virus, vaccination before pregnancy is important.