How does a child under one year old become infected with chickenpox?
There are the following ways of contracting chickenpox:
- Airborne. In this case, the child inhales microparticles of the saliva of an infected person.
- Contact. Infection occurs by touching the skin rash.
However, you cannot become infected through objects or things touched by an infected person. This is due to the fact that the chickenpox virus quickly dies under the influence of the external environment.
The contagiousness of the virus is manifested in the fact that in 90% of cases, infection is possible through contact with a patient. In addition, a person who does not yet have a skin rash is contagious: 48 hours before it appears and until all the wind elements are covered with a dense crust, the person is considered a carrier of the virus and can infect others.
Symptoms of chickenpox in babies
The first sign of chickenpox in children under one year of age is a rash on the body. At first, the rash appears in the form of relatively small red spots. After some time, the stain fills with liquid and swells, forming a bubble. Then the bubble bursts, and in its place a brown crust appears, which subsequently falls off, leaving the skin clean.
Usually the rash does not appear all over the body at once: within 5 days the rash spreads over the child’s skin. In rare cases, wind elements are observed on the mucous membrane (for example, in the oral cavity). Frequent accompaniments of chickenpox in one-year-old children are general malaise and lack of appetite. This is due to the fact that when the rash appears, the baby’s temperature rises to 38 or 39 degrees. Fever and random rashes usually last about 5 days. In rare cases – 6-8 days. After this, the baby's condition improves significantly.
The rash is usually itchy, and children should be supervised to ensure they do not scratch the blisters or pick off the scab. Traces of rashes on the body disappear, but if peeled off, scars are possible for life.
The incubation period (the period of time from the moment of infection and the appearance of the first signs of the disease) for chickenpox lasts from 7 to 21 days.
Symptoms
The first sign of infection with the virus in infants is a sharp increase in body temperature. A febrile state can provoke an attack of vomiting (more details here), and in severe cases, cause convulsions. A sick baby's behavior changes: he refuses to breastfeed or take formula, shows hyperactivity or, conversely, looks lethargic and sleeps for a long time. At the initial stage, there are no skin rashes. The rash appears at the end of the incubation period: on the second or third day after the first rise in temperature.
The extent of the rash varies depending on the severity of chickenpox. If in mild forms they are insignificant, then in severe cases an itchy rash appears on most of the skin and mucous membranes, causing the baby a lot of discomfort and causing an increase in temperature to +39...+40°C.
The chickenpox rash is papules filled with clear liquid. Painful blisters burst when the child tries to scratch the inflamed area, and deep wounds form in their place.
Chickenpox in infants can occur in a different sequence:
- The disease begins with the appearance of small spots on the skin, which within a day transform into characteristic painful papules with transparent contents.
- The rash quickly spreads throughout the body, and the rashes appear in waves, after the next temperature jump.
- After 5-7 days, the rashes stop. The end of the disease is indicated by the absence of fresh papules; only crusty traces of the rash that appeared during the acute period of the disease remain on the skin.
Forms of chickenpox
Chickenpox can occur in both mild and severe forms. In the first case, the child’s rash does not spread throughout the body, and the temperature does not rise above 38 degrees. In addition to this, there is no headache or runny nose. Of course, the child will still experience a lack of appetite and a bad mood due to itching.
A severe form is possible only in cases where the child’s body and immunity are severely weakened, or if the infection occurred in utero. Then the body temperature rises sharply to 40 degrees, and a rash covers the entire body and mucous membranes. Also, severe chickenpox in children is accompanied by vomiting, coughing, and in some cases even suffocation. With this form of chickenpox, treatment in a hospital is necessary, as complications are possible. Often this form is accompanied by the appearance of a purulent rash.
Features of treatment for babies under one year old
If the disease is mild, children do not need targeted treatment. Therapy can be carried out at home:
- To reduce the temperature, use paracetamol (in suppositories or syrup) or ibuprofen (in syrup). Such medications are used only when necessary in an age-specific dosage.
- To treat elements of rashes, use brilliant green or Fukortsin. Such products act as antiseptics (help to avoid bacterial infection), and also help monitor the appearance of new elements of the rash.
- It is possible to use Fenistil or Calamine to treat the skin with severe itching (with the approval of a doctor).
An infant with chickenpox should be regularly changed into fresh, clean, and ironed clothes. Anti-scratch guards should be worn on the hands, especially at night (even if we are talking about treating a one-year-old child, since scratching is involuntary). It is also important to feed your baby on demand if he is breastfed. Doctors emphasize that children with a mild form of chickenpox can and should be bathed in warm water with a weak antiseptic solution for a short time. A simple procedure will help relieve itching and improve the child’s overall well-being.
If chickenpox in a child under one year of age is severe or occurs in a newborn, treatment is carried out exclusively in the hospital. Such children are advised to administer immunoglobulins, antiviral drugs, detoxification solutions, etc. In most cases, correct and timely therapy helps save the child’s health and life.
Treatment methods
In the case of a mild form of chickenpox in children under 1 year of age, no special treatment or medications are needed. Doctors recommend just waiting out this period. If third-party symptoms appear (headache, fever), it is necessary to take antipyretic drugs for therapy. Antihistamine drops are usually used to combat itching. For example, you can use fenistil. The dosage is calculated using a simple formula: the number of drops per number of months (age) of the child.
However, it is worth remembering that children under 12 should not be given aspirin to reduce fever due to the possibility of toxic damage to the liver and nervous system. You also do not need to use ibuprofen, nurofen and other drugs in this group. Antiviral drugs are usually used only in cases of severe illness.
There is also no need to smear the rash during chickenpox; the blisters dry up on their own. Zelenka is usually used only to control the number of rashes; in fact, it is not a treatment for chickenpox. So, if within a few days places not smeared with greenery stop appearing, then we can talk about the attenuation of the disease.
During illness, a child needs rest. The food should be light and more water should be given.
In the case of a severe form of the disease, the child cannot be treated on his own. You should seek medical help immediately.
There is a way to prevent chickenpox. So, in 1995, a vaccine was created that reduces the risk of infection. Once infected, chickenpox is much easier to tolerate. This vaccine is also available in Russia. Although some doctors believe that it is better to get chickenpox at a young age in order to gain immunity from it for life.
How do infants suffer from chickenpox?
Children under 1 year old experience chickenpox differently. Even with a mild form of the disease, the baby may cry often, sleep poorly, and refuse to eat. Parents need to be patient.
Behavior becomes especially restless during the period of exacerbation of rashes, which are accompanied by itching. Breastfed children tolerate this period easier. Therefore, if possible, you need to transfer the child to such a diet, excluding purees, juices and cereals.
Drinking plenty of fluids is necessary, even if the baby is put to the breast frequently. In addition to water, you can give weak tea and unsweetened compotes.
Temperatures can reach 39 and even 40 degrees. In this case, you need to call a doctor. And do not refuse hospitalization if necessary.
With a mild form, the child gets enough sleep for no more than 5 days, and with a severe form – about 2 weeks. The main thing is to distract the baby from scratching the wounds, otherwise infection may occur. And the treatment will last. A bacterial infection can be recognized by the cloudy contents of the rash.
How to treat chickenpox
The most important thing is to remember the dangers of self-medication. Any treatment must be approved by a doctor.
Another important point is the abuse of greenery. As already stated, it is not a treatment for chickenpox, but is only used to control the disease. There is no need to apply too much greenery to a large area of skin, as this may cause problems with wound healing. As a result, scars will remain for life. In this case, brilliant green should only be applied to the rash with a cotton swab twice a day.
Another common myth is that you can’t swim. In fact, this is not so, it is only important to comply with the following conditions:
- the child should not have a high temperature;
- the water should not be hot;
- Do not use a sponge, as there is a possibility of removing bubbles;
- After washing, you should not rub the skin, you need to blot it with a diaper.
In addition, bathing helps reduce the severity of itching.
In addition to this, you should not abuse antipyretic drugs, as this can aggravate the course of chickenpox in children.
How do children under one year old cope with chickenpox?
There are two stages of chickenpox in children under one year of age. So, during the first six months, it is easier for children to tolerate chickenpox. This is due to the fact that when breastfeeding, they receive antibodies along with their mother's breast milk. This improves the efficiency of their immune system. Of course, this cannot be said if the baby’s mother refuses breastfeeding and uses artificial feeding - in such a child, when infected, chickenpox is much more severe. However, the mother must also be immune to the disease.
After 6 months, the mother’s antibodies stop working, and if infected, the child suffers chickenpox with great difficulty.
At what age do people get chickenpox?
Doctors say that chickenpox most often affects children from one year of age to six years. Also, babies from six months can get sick, when the amount of antibodies received from the mother in their body has already decreased. The disease may also develop in younger children if the mother has no immunity (if the woman has not had chickenpox before). Children attending preschool institutions are at increased risk, as they come into contact with many other children and can easily catch the chickenpox virus - it is very highly contagious.
Once the disease has been transmitted, it causes persistent immunity to chickenpox. If a pregnant woman has had chickenpox before, she transfers antibodies to the causative agent of this disease to the baby during pregnancy. In this case, the child cannot get sick until at least six months of age, or even longer.
However, chickenpox can develop in people at almost any age, if the person (child) has not had it before and does not have immunity received from the mother or as a result of vaccination.
Can a newborn get sick before 3 months?
A baby is considered a newborn from the moment of birth until the end of the full 4 weeks of life. Chickenpox rarely develops in children at this age, but the risk of such a disease is still present. Doctors even have the term “newborn chickenpox” - we are talking about this disease if the mother becomes infected with this disease in the period from 5 days before the birth itself or during the first 2 days after it. In such a situation, the baby easily catches the disease, and it can be very difficult with many complications. But fortunately, doctors can now prevent the negative consequences of childhood infection in infants.
A newborn baby can also get chickenpox in the first weeks of his life. This situation is only possible if his mother does not have immunity to chickenpox (she has not had it before and has not been vaccinated).
Children 2-3 months of age also rarely get chickenpox, like newborns, since the vast majority of women of reproductive age are immune to chickenpox. If the mother has not had chickenpox, then the likelihood of infection increases. An infant can become infected:
- From the woman herself.
- From close relatives (brothers, sisters, etc.).
- From sick people in a clinic, in a store or just on the street (a person becomes contagious even before the first symptoms of the disease appear).
Some doctors are confident that the risk of chickenpox in infants increases if the baby is bottle-fed. After all, with breast milk, a woman continues to pass on antibodies to her child that protect his body from diseases.
Risk of illness in babies at 4-5 months
From about three months of age, the amount of antibodies received from the mother in the baby’s body gradually begins to decrease. Accordingly, the risk of contracting chickenpox increases. However, in children under six months of age, chickenpox is still rarely diagnosed, since they:
- More resistant to the virus.
- They rarely have the opportunity to contact sick people.
However, if the child’s mother did not have chickenpox, the baby can easily get sick, as at an earlier age. And his illness can be quite severe.
Features after 6 months
After the baby reaches 6-7 months of age, there are practically no antibodies to chickenpox left in his body that he received from his mother (if he received it). Therefore, a child at 6, 8 and 9 months old can get chickenpox with almost the same probability as older children. But fortunately, at this age stage the disease usually proceeds easily and without complications. Sometimes parents note only a slight increase in temperature, the appearance of a couple of small pimples and a moderate deterioration in well-being. But the symptoms, of course, are individual.
Doctors say that children under 1 year of age most often catch chickenpox from their own parents or siblings. In any case, such babies should be under the supervision of a doctor, since their risk of complications from the disease is increased (due to incompletely formed immunity).
Until what age can you become infected?
Doctors are confident that you can get chickenpox at any age - at 1 year, at 10, at 18, and even at 90. Another thing is that such a disease occurs only once in a lifetime, after which a person cannot become infected with it again. The presence of antibodies to chickenpox can be detected using a simple blood test.
Most doctors recommend that in the absence of natural acquired immunity to chickenpox in adulthood, the task of developing artificial immunity. This goal can be achieved with chickenpox vaccination.
Possible complications
Complications from chickenpox are rare. They are mainly associated with improper treatment of the rash. This can ultimately lead to lifelong scarring.
In children, chickenpox can progress to damage to the brain and internal organs, although the risk is extremely low. Sometimes chickenpox transitions into the form of lichen. Possible complications after chickenpox also include conjunctivitis, meningitis and other diseases.
So, when the first signs of a rash appear, parents should first seek medical help. In especially severe cases, you can call an ambulance. For mild chickenpox, treatment is carried out at home. Be sure to follow your doctor's instructions and do not invent your own treatment methods. If all instructions are followed correctly, chickenpox will pass without complications, and the child will never have to deal with this disease again.
