Chickenpox and your Child
Nicky Pilkington
If you begin to notice your child wakes up one morning with a rash of
spots that followed a runny nose and a cough, you are more than likely
looking at chickenpox.
A virus known as varicella zoster causes chickenpox. If your child does
develop chickenpox, you will see a rash of spots that look like
blisters all over their body. The blisters themselves sit on a red area
of skin. They can be just about any size from the size of a pencil
eraser to that of a dime.
Chickenpox can be accompanied by a runny nose and cough even though in
some children these two symptoms disappear once the spots have
developed. The worst thing about chickenpox is that they itch.
What to watch for are a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, and a cough.
You may think your child has a cold, but within one or two days, the
rash begins to appear. Most of the time, you will notice the rash first
on the chest and face in groups. From there is spreads to the entire
body. However, this is a worse case scenario; some children only have
the rash on their chest, face, and back, while others may even have
them inside their ears and mouth.
In the very beginning, the rash will look like pinkish dots that will
develop a small blister on top. After you notice the blisters, in about
24 to 24 hours the fluid inside the blisters will begin to look a bit
cloudy and will then crust over.
However, this does not mean that they are just about over chickenpox
when you notice a few of the spots crusting over. The blisters appear
in waves, when one group begins to crust over, new blisters appear on
another group of red dots. It normally takes around seven days before
you will not notice any new spots. Some children may not develop any
more spots after only three days, but seven is the longest. Within one
week of the last group of spots developing blisters they should all
crust over. Once, you notice the crusting on all the spots then the
chickenpox are on their way to healing.
Some children may have more than just a cough and a runny nose; many
also have a stomachache and a fever.
Chickenpox is contagious. The most contagious time for chickenpox is
before the rash appears during the first two to five days when they
have the cough and runny nose. Therefore, you will not know that your
little one has chickenpox before it is too late.
Chickenpox will make your child uncomfortable and if you have never
developed chickenpox, you can also come down with them. The best advice
is to talk to your doctor and have your child receive a shot for
chickenpox. This does not mean that he or she will not ever catch them
but if they do, it will be mild.
For more information about your child's health and chickenpox you can
check out
http://www.yourchildrenshealth.com
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