Chickenpox in children, what treatment can parents do?

Chickenpox is a contagious disease and usually starts when the child is young. Now, children who have chickenpox need to rest at home so that they recover faster and do not transmit the disease to other people. So, what are the causes, characteristics or symptoms to how to treat chicken pox in children? Check out the explanation below!

Cause

Causes of chicken pox in children

The cause of chickenpox that can occur in children is exposure to the virus herpes varicella-zoster because it passes by droplet from the patient's mouth when coughing or sneezing.

Quoted from Healthy Children, this is the most common disease and affects children under 10 years of age.

Apart from saliva, the virus can also be transmitted and move through the fluid in the smallpox spots.

In fact, when a person breathes the air around the sufferer after a new water spot has burst.

Not only that, the virus will remain contagious until all the blisters on the sufferer's skin dry up.

Characteristics & Symptoms

What are the characteristics and symptoms of chickenpox in children?

Well, the symptoms of chickenpox usually appear 4-5 days after the child has a fever.

However, unlike measles, the rash and water spots on smallpox appear 10-21 days after the child is first exposed to the virus.

Some of the characteristics and symptoms of chickenpox in children that you should pay attention to, namely:

The red skin rash will turn into small, blistered spots filled with fluid or also known as smallpox boils.
New batches of smallpox will appear after 4-5 days thereafter.
The red rash usually starts in the area around the head and back, then spreads to the rest of the body after 1-2 days
A smallpox rash or bumps are also common in the mouth, eyelids, and genitals
Fever. The more boils of smallpox that appear, the higher the fever.
Feeling tired and unwell
Loss of appetite

The diameter of the freckle or duct that characterizes chicken pox in children is usually not more than 0.5 cm.

Then, it should also be noted that resilience can spread more widely and quickly in children with weak immune system conditions.

After a few days or weeks, the boilers will dry up, peel off, and become scabs.

Fever as a symptom of chickenpox usually peaks (38.8 ° Celsius) on the third or fourth day.

After the smallpox freckle or boil slowly dries up, the fever will start to decrease.

However, it is possible that your child will not have a fever on the first day of smallpox or if the spots are not too severe.

Diagnosis

When to take your child to the doctor?

Chickenpox in children does not require special medical treatment.

However, this disease makes the child's health condition greatly deteriorate.

Some other conditions that require you to immediately bring your little one to consult a doctor are:

The child has a high fever for more than 4 days.
The child has difficulty breathing and coughs continuously.
Resilience causes the affected skin to become swollen, red, warm, and feels sore.
Resilient to discharge pus or yellowish fluid.
The child has severe headaches and the neck feels stiff.
The child is very restless and has difficulty getting up to sleep.
Children have difficulty seeing in bright rooms.
The child experiences vomiting.

Generally, the diagnosis of chickenpox is fairly easy. The doctor will perform a physical examination to identify the symptoms of chickenpox.

Next, the doctor will give you a chickenpox medicine that helps relieve symptoms and shorten the phase of disease progression.

Complications

Can any complications occur in children with chickenpox?

It should be noted by parents that chicken pox can be quite a serious disease for anyone.

Likewise in babies, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, and people with weak immune system conditions.

Here are some complications that can occur, such as:

Bacterial infections of the skin, soft tissue, bones, and joints
Experiencing dehydration
Pneumonia
Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis)
Reye's syndrome in a child taking aspirin
Dead

Treatment

How is the treatment and how to treat chickenpox in children?

There are several ways you can do to treat and treat chicken pox.

The first thing, you should check your little one to the doctor to get chickenpox medicine for children.

Although this disease can subside on its own, the child can feel very disturbed and uncomfortable with the symptoms of chickenpox.

In addition, if parents let chickenpox develop just like that, it can lead to the risk of complications such as a bacterial infection of the skin.

The following are steps that can be taken at home to treat chickenpox in children:

1. Giving the drug acyclovir

Acyclovir is an oral antiviral drug that is usually given within 24 hours after the first symptoms of chickenpox appear.

According to deep researchNew England Journal of Medicine, acyclovir can reduce the amount of resilience of smallpox and shorten sickness time. However, the complication rate of chickenpox cannot be reduced.

In addition, Acyclovir must be used routinely for five consecutive days. However, this drug is reported to have few side effects.

Acyclovir can also be used in children who have a deficient immune system, are taking steroids, skin diseases or lung conditions that are weak.

2. Relieve fever

Give acetaminophen as a chickenpox medicine to your child for the first few days if he shows symptoms of fever.

However, do not give ibuprofen because it is feared that it poses a risk of severe side effects of strep infection.

Do not also give aspirin to toddlers and young children who have chickenpox because the side effect is brain damage.

3. Prevent the child from scratching

Resilience or chickenpox spots can cause itching, so he will often scratch certain parts of the skin.

In fact, there is a risk of complications due to constantly scratching the affected area of the skin, which is a bacterial skin infection.

Therefore, stopping the habit of scratching is the first step to treating chickenpox in children, namely:

Routinely cut children's nails to keep them short.
Make sure children always wash their hands with soap regularly to avoid germs that might infect their skin.
Do not let the child scratch and scrape the pox rash, especially on the face.
At night, try to put on gloves, long clothes, and socks that cover the affected area of the skin with chickenpox.
The child needs to wear loose and soft clothing so that the child's skin can breathe and is not easily scratched.

4. Relieves itching

The cold water acts as a compress that relieves the itching and redness caused by smallpox.

Encourage your child to soak in cold water for at least 10 minutes every four hours for the first few days that he has chickenpox.

Soaking is safe to do as a chickenpox home therapy in children because smallpox is spread only through the air, not water.

To protect the resilience of the pox from breaking, do not rub it with a towel while drying yourself. Gently pat yourself dry until the water is dry.

After bathing, you can apply cold powder (calamine) to relieve itching.

If your child complains of intense itching that interferes with sleep, give him an over the counter antihistamine.

5. Pay attention to food intake

Hot body temperature, pain, and discomfort will also make it difficult for children to eat.

Especially when bouncy or chickenpox spots also appear in the mouth and throat. Your little one will certainly find it difficult to swallow food.

Therefore, as a medicine for chickenpox in children, fulfill their fluid needs by drinking lots of water to avoid dehydration.

If you have babies who are actively breastfeeding, continue to breastfeed them regularly.

Avoid giving children foods that have a strong, salty, sour, or spicy taste because they can make their mouths hurt.

Foods that are soft, smooth, and cold (such as soup, fat-free ice cream, pudding, jelly, mashed potatoes, and puree) can be the best choice when the child has chickenpox.

6. Get enough rest

In addition to fulfilling the body's fluid and nutritional needs, make sure the child also gets adequate rest.

Rest can form the regeneration process of white blood cells that play a role in the immune system to fight infection.

In addition, resting the child at home for a week can also be a measure to prevent transmission of chickenpox.

Most cases of chickenpox in children occur after coming into contact with an infected person.

7. Overcoming pain in the genitals

Pain from chickenpox is common in the sex organs and can be very painful for your child.

If a girl complains of unbearable pain that keeps her from urinating, there is something parents can do.

You can perform local anesthesia through an ointment containing 2.5% xylocaine, which is available over-the-counter in pharmacies.

Apply this ointment in the vagina as often as possible, once every 2-3 hours, to relieve pain. Taking a cold bath will also help a lot.

Can smallpox resilience go away?

Chicken pox usually doesn't leave permanent marks on the skin.

Unless the child continues to scratch the elastic until it causes a wound and is infected with the bacteria that causes impetigo.

It should also be noted that removing smallpox scars takes a long time, up to at least 6-12 months.

Prevention

Can prevent chickenpox in children?

Prevention of this disease can be done by immunizing the chickenpox vaccine. Doctors recommend that children get this type of vaccine immediately when: