What You Should Know about Chicken Pox on Babies


Chicken pox, also known as varicella, is a self-limited, benevolent disease that is mainly formed by a herpes virus called varicella-zoster virus. Once this virus is gasped, it would then contaminate the secretions in the respiratory system of the body. Hence, the baby develops the infection. A baby can also be infected by the virus thru straight contacts with skin abrasions that are being formed by the varicella-zoster virus.

In the United States alone, almost four million babies are being infected with the disease, every year. This eventually caused deaths of almost a hundred children, yearly. Likewise, it had lead to over four thousand annual hospitalizations in the country.

Chicken pox typically transpires in babies aging from three to six years old. The disease could be dispersed from one baby to another by just playing with or having a straight contact with an infected child. Pertinent medical studies revealed that only 5% of the said chicken pox cases are affecting older children. This left the 95% among babies in the 3-6 age brackets, regardless of the statistics and gender. Moreover, these studies also entail the peak period of the syndrome, which typically happens on the month of August to October, annually.

How would you identify varicella or chicken pox symptoms in babies?

Symptoms of chicken pox in babies are classified into two types namely the primary viremia and the secondary viremia symptoms. The primary viremia is the first-time infectivity of the varicella-zoster virus, which frequently occurs in vigorous babies. Symptoms under this infectivity would include anorexia, headache, common depression and high fever. Conversely, secondary viremia happens when the viral particles stretch throughout the skin which is the basis of the usual skin swelling. Symptoms comprise bulge lesions that would initiate on the trunk then extends to other body areas such as the arms, legs and the scalp.

Skin abrasions are apparent only some days from the occurrence of a very high fever and common malaise. At first, they would emerge as red maculae. Swelling lesions in some instances could also occur in the mouth, throats and tonsils. These are embodied by common rashes that are very itchy.

Potential Risks to Consider

Parents, especially the mothers should not take chicken pox for granted. Your baby could be at higher risk of acquiring the disease if he is currently under an immunosuppressant treatment, if he is not vaccinated or if he never infected by the disease.

As per symptoms relief, parents are strongly advised not to give their babies with aspirin to subside fever. Instead offer him acetaminophen remedy. This is to evade from the Reyes Syndrome, a potential severity caused by aspirins. For babies suffering from flu, be sure to provide him enough liquid to drink. Additionally, due to the itchiness caused by the virus, you have to wrap the baby’s feet and hands with socks to avert him from scuffing the infected skin.

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