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Chickenpox: how to treat baby and avoid contagion?
Each year, chickenpox affects just over 600 children. Even if it is most often benign, its itching is dreaded. What you need to know to best relieve the discomfort caused by the most contagious of childhood illnesses.
Chickenpox: definition
An extremely contagious rash infectious disease that spreads through the respiratory tract or through direct contact with skin lesions, chickenpox mainly affects children under 10 years of age. It is then generally not serious. Chickenpox has long been considered by epidemiologists to be a rather spring disease. But the Varicelle-Zoster Virus (VZV) is mutating and, with it, the incidence of chickenpox cases. Strictly speaking, there is no longer a peak.
Symptoms of chickenpox
Chickenpox can be recognized by its small vesicles resembling small bubbles filled with water or even mini-blisters. They are often preceded by headaches and / or stomach aches. The first vesicles appear on the face and scalp then spread to the whole body, including the seat. There are usually 2 to 3 outbreaks that can last over a week. And we will have to wait another week or so before the end of the contagiousness. The scabs will take longer to disappear. There are often more or less severe itching, a fever not exceeding 38,5 °, fatigue, irritability, or even viral conjunctivitis.
Risks and complications of chickenpox in babies
Chickenpox is most often not serious in children but it is recommended to consult a doctor when it occurs in a child under 6 months. It is particularly feared in babies under one month: so-called neonatal chickenpox exposes you to an increased risk of skin, pulmonary and neurological complications.
Treatment of chickenpox
There is no actual treatment for the chickenpox virus. Only excessively severe outbreaks may require the administration of an antiviral. If there is fever, it is usually mild. It is then simply necessary to seek to lower it with simple measures: do not cover the child too much, offer him to drink regularly, maintain the temperature of his room at 19 °, give him paracetamol if necessary. Aspirin and ibuprofen are prohibited. If the child is taking corticosteroids to treat asthma or eczema, this should be reported to the doctor. Prescribing antihistamine syrup to numb the itchiness has not been proven to work. The application of cream or talc is contraindicated.
A bath or a shower per day with an antiseptic soap will on the other hand have a soothing effect and will limit the risks of superinfection. It is then necessary to dry the child well, in particular at the level of the folds. Not with a hair dryer as has long been advised, but by dabbing gently with a towel. Each new blister, until it has become a scab, must then be disinfected with an uncolored antiseptic. You can then apply Cicalfate Lotion. Indispensable precaution to prevent the appearance of scars and the risk of superinfection: cut and file the nails of the little patient.
Some tips to prevent chickenpox contagion
Only pregnant women who are not immune, infants, people who are immunocompromised or have severe skin disease should avoid contact with people with chickenpox. But when it comes to young children, it is better not to try to protect them from the virus. On the contrary, although chickenpox is unpleasant to live with, it is best to catch it early. The older we get, the stronger the symptoms and the more frequent the complications. The virus must therefore circulate as much as possible among young children. This is why eviction from the nanny, nursery or school is not compulsory.