Chicken Pox In Infants
Chicken pox is a common viral infection, caused by the Varicella-Zoster virus, which is part of the herpes family. Chicken pox is most common in children under the age of 15, but it may affect anybody who hasn’t been infected or immunized earlier. This includes adults and infants. While the disease usually runs its own course, and is gone in a week or so, the consequences may be more serious in the case of infants. What makes the disease worse is that it is extremely contagious, and may be spread just by touch or by breathing in the same air.
Chicken Pox In Babies: Chicken pox has the capability to be very serious in infants, and can often be diagnosed only after the onset of the disease. The Varicella vaccine can only be administered to children above 12 months. There are two ways for infants to get infected. The first is because the mother was infected during pregnancy. This is called congenital varicella, and can have serious implications like the risk of malformation and even death. Doctors may often resort to medical intervention in such cases. Secondly, infants may contract the virus postnataly. This is not as severe, and infants will usually run through the disease naturally. It is important to get your infant examined by a doctor and to put him or her under constant care and observation.
Symptoms: Children infected with chicken pox will usually start with symptoms like fever and general sickness, loss of appetite, headache, and stomach ache. Of course, in the case of infants, it may be difficult to tell that your baby is having these problems, and you’ll only know about it after the rash appears. The ‘classic chicken pox rash’ will appear one or two days after the onset of the disease.
The rash usually starts on the face, scalp or trunk and spreads across the body. The small red blisters typical of this illness may number in hundreds, and occur in three or more successive waves. The blisters are easily broken, but care should be taken to not do this. They will eventually crust over and fall off on their own.
Treatment: Usually, there is no treatment for chicken pox. The disease will run its own course, and the blisters will usually heal with very little or no scarring. Doctors may prescribe antibiotics for the blisters if they get infected by bacteria. The vaccine cannot be administered to infants, but for older children, it can block infections.
Care and Precautions: To ease the pain and discomfort that the blisters bring infants, you can apply calamine lotion to the blisters. Oatmeal baths in lukewarm water, or bathing in neem, or margosa, leaves will also ease the pain and aid recovery. You may also administer oral antihistamines, but only as prescribed by your pediatrician.
Commonly observed with infants, is the re-occurrence of the disease in the parents or grandparents, who are caring for them. Here, it manifests itself as Shingles. Children with weak immune systems, eczema or asthma should be monitored constantly, as the chances of complications arising here are higher. If the initial fever lasts more than 4 days, or is above 102 °F or if any of the rash areas are swollen and leak pus, then call your doctor immediately. Also, keep an eye open for severe cough, vomiting, headache or difficulty breathing. Ask your doctor for other symptoms to watch for.
