Treating Chickenpox in Children under 12
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- Treating Chickenpox
- Posted date:
- 10-02-2017
Treating Chickenpox in Children under 12
Chickenpox is common among children, especially for those who are under 12 years old. It is caused by VZV or the varicella-zoster virus and it is a contagious disease as well.
Children who have it may develop a fever, feel tired and have a blister-like rash. There have also been cases where it has caused complications but usually, it occurs among children who have a weak immune system.
What are the symptoms of chickenpox?
Children who have it often suffers from a sore throat, headache and fever first. They may also suffer from stomachache as well. Such symptoms would last for a few days. Then, after the initial symptoms have occurred, the rash would start to appear in their body.
They look like small blisters that can surely irritate the child for they cause itchiness. However, there have also been children who have been lucky enough to have only a few and even none rash at all. This is especially among babies who are only 6 months old. This is because they still have protection from the antibodies they got from their mother.
After the rash has blistered, it would then scab over. During the time when a child has chickenpox, you can also expect that they would lose their appetite. The typical recovery period for chickenpox is one to two weeks.
How to treat chickenpox?
Chickenpox can provide great discomfort among children under 12 years old. However, there are things that you can do in order to relieve the itchiness and discomfort that they are feeling. Find out by reading the tips listed below.
- Give them a medicine for their fever.
- If they wanted to take a bath, prepare lukewarm water for them and then add about 2 cups of oatmeal that you have at home.
- Only pat dry the body instead of rubbing it with a towel.
- Make sure that your child has enough amount of fluid in their body.
- If you have calamine lotion or emollient cream, you can apply it on the areas that cause itchiness.
- Make sure that your child does not scratch the rash, regardless of how itchy it may be for it may cause infections.
- Keep their fingers short to ensure that they would not be able to scratch the rash deeply, which can only worsen the situation.
- Above anything else, you should definitely seek medical advice in case your child has shown severe symptoms of chickenpox.