Chickenpox: a contagious disease
Incubation period difficult to detect
The varicella is a virus of the herpesvirus group. It is important to check the epidemic threshold *. Before the eruption of the characteristic pimples of the diseaseit is difficult to detect. The waiting period between infection and first symptoms lasts about 14 days and is called incubation.
Once sick, the subject is very contagious for those around him. This contagion is done by respiratory way (saliva droplets and virus suspended in the exhaled air) during the 24 to 36 hours which precede the appearance of the first button and by cutaneous way then (buttons of the varicella) for about six days. The first skin lesions may go unnoticed on the first day, especially if they are few. At this time, the child may have low fever, feel tired and have a runny nose.
On your side, hunt for pimples. You must disinfect each blister that has burst. The buttons that dry after 48 hours then form a small crust on which you must also pass an antiseptic solution with a cotton swab. During the disease, prefer showers with disinfectant liquid soap and rinse well. Do not tear the crusts because the healing will be less good and may leave definitive traces.
Allow eight days for all pimples to heal spontaneously. At the beginning of the crust, the skin becomes pink then white and the marks will gradually fade. Avoid during the following weeks to expose the scarred skin to the sun so that it does not piggy.
In the absence of vaccination, however, 95% of adults in France are immunized after varicella in childhood. If you are pregnant, make sure you are protected because the varicella may affect the fetus and lung level.
If you have been in contact with a child carrying the disease, talk to your doctor quickly, who will conduct an antibody test with a blood test.
* To know the epidemic thresholds, consult the Sentinelles website: //websenti.u707.jussieu.fr/sentiweb/
Thank you to Professor Emmanuel Grimprel. Pediatric consultation and diseases infectious, Trousseau Hospital, Paris.
The varicella is a virus of the herpesvirus group. It is important to check the epidemic threshold *. Before the eruption of the characteristic pimples of the diseaseit is difficult to detect. The waiting period between infection and first symptoms lasts about 14 days and is called incubation.
Once sick, the subject is very contagious for those around him. This contagion is done by respiratory way (saliva droplets and virus suspended in the exhaled air) during the 24 to 36 hours which precede the appearance of the first button and by cutaneous way then (buttons of the varicella) for about six days. The first skin lesions may go unnoticed on the first day, especially if they are few. At this time, the child may have low fever, feel tired and have a runny nose.
Buttons: the first symptoms
The first button is similar to a mosquito bite, a small pink stain. It very quickly becomes a kind of blister filled with a transparent liquid. Doctors talk about "vesicles". In 24-48 hours, the whole body can be covered in successive waves. They are lodged in the first place on the chest and then extend everywhere: at the root of the hair, on the legs and even sometimes inside the mouth. This appearance is often accompanied by fever and severe itching.Treatment: relieve and disinfect
First of all, make sure to lower the fever with paracetamol. Ibuprofen is not recommended in case of varicella. The doctor may prescribe an anti-purulent syrup to relieve the itching. Your child will want to scratch himself, dress him in clean and covering clothes and remember to cut his short nails to prevent it from infecting the pimples. Try to explain to him to be careful.On your side, hunt for pimples. You must disinfect each blister that has burst. The buttons that dry after 48 hours then form a small crust on which you must also pass an antiseptic solution with a cotton swab. During the disease, prefer showers with disinfectant liquid soap and rinse well. Do not tear the crusts because the healing will be less good and may leave definitive traces.
Allow eight days for all pimples to heal spontaneously. At the beginning of the crust, the skin becomes pink then white and the marks will gradually fade. Avoid during the following weeks to expose the scarred skin to the sun so that it does not piggy.
Vaccination in prevention
Vaccination of all children against varicella is not recommended in France. It concerns the subjects at severe risk: they are people who have no notion of varicella in their past and who have been exposed to a case for less than three days or who will be exposed by their profession or by their future. Vaccination (two doses separated by at least one month) is effective and prevents the possible complications of varicella. It is contraindicated during pregnancy and in people with immunosuppression.In the absence of vaccination, however, 95% of adults in France are immunized after varicella in childhood. If you are pregnant, make sure you are protected because the varicella may affect the fetus and lung level.
If you have been in contact with a child carrying the disease, talk to your doctor quickly, who will conduct an antibody test with a blood test.
* To know the epidemic thresholds, consult the Sentinelles website: //websenti.u707.jussieu.fr/sentiweb/
Thank you to Professor Emmanuel Grimprel. Pediatric consultation and diseases infectious, Trousseau Hospital, Paris.
