Symptoms and Treatment of the Chicken Pox 2016/06/24

Chicken Pox is caused by a virus called Varicella Zoster or VZV, from the family of the herpes virus; it can infect primarily children between 5 and 10 years old, but also an unfortunate 10% of adults after 50 years old.

The incubation period varies between 2 and 3 weeks, then a low fever appears, headaches and general discomfort, almost like a common flu.

After a few days rosy papules appear (meaning, skin eruptions) which later become pustules and vesicles that contain cloudy liquid also called pus.

Later they dry out and become scabs destined to fall. It is contagious when the first skin symptoms appear so much by air (sneezes, coughs) as from contact. The eruptions appear all over the body, mostly the face and core.

This whole process lasts about 7 to 10 days, where the biggest discomfort is to endure the itchiness, especially during the night. It is ideal not to scratch oneself to avoid the rupture of the pustules after the infection.

To relieve discomfort, we can look for menthol talcum powder which gives relieve or an antihistamine. Always listen to your pediatrician’s opinion.

Dress your child with light colored or pastel colored cotton clothes because dark or bright colors contain coloring that can irritate the skin. Baths have to be with tempered water and if you wish to, add some rice starch, which helps to give relief.

Sunlight is prohibited: it over heats the skin and does not help to “dry” the scabs as one might think.

And foods? The child undergoing chicken pox generally does not have an appetite. Nevertheless, really warm foods, spicy foods or acid foods as prohibited, like tomatoes, oranges, etc. because if the child has pustules inside their mouth, it can be very uncomfortable.

Instead, a fresh or cold diet is welcomed, like yogurt, fresh cheeses, white pasta.

This article is purely informative and does not replace your pediatrician’s opinion.