December 03 2024

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A CHILD WITH CHICKENPOX

Recommendations for caring your child



   If chickenpox is acquired after birth usually is mild, even in very young children, so you should not fret unnecessarily, but should monitor any changes in the health status of the child.

   Giving aspirin to children with chickenpox increases the risk of Reye's syndrome, a serious process, often fatal. In these cases (and in a case of flu) should never be used this medicament.

   If you fear that your child can infect other children, you should avoid contact with these until all blisters have become scabs, which usually happens at 7th or 8th day.

   To find out if your child develops chickenpox after a suspected contact, you must wait up to three weeks to discard it, in the event that no symptoms.

   Daily bathing is not contraindicated in children with chickenpox, as it tends to reduce itching when it is intense, but it should be short, avoiding rubbing the skin for drying the patient.

   The most common complication of chickenpox is a bacterial infection of the skin from scratching. If you notice any injury (blister or scab) particularly inflamed or larger than the rest, consult your pediatrician if considered advisable to treat it with antibiotics

   It is likely that at the beginning of the disease the child has a sore throat, malaise, fever and even cough. Such symptoms are part of chickenpox and should not be treated as an independent disease.

   The itching that accompanies chickenpox is particularly annoying and, apart from the bathroom, can resort to antihistamines, but are of limited effectiveness.

   If your child takes medication derived from cortisone or is subject to chronic treatment with other drugs, contact your pediatrician if you suspect he may have been infected with chickenpox.

   If the patient has severe coughing, seems to have worsened abruptly or presents difficulties for walking, may suffering a complication like pneumonia or cerebellitis .