Chickenpox is an infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It is very contagious, which causes that in Spain, 90% of children under 10 suffer from this disease.
This pathology fundamentally affects the skin, initially with small spots that evolve into a vesicle of pink contour and transparent content that becomes cloudy as the disease progresses. When the vesicles rupture, the scabs appear that will leave spots on the skin that will disappear over time. It is usually difficult to resist the itching that the granites produce, so in very young children it is useful to put on mittens and follow the guidelines indicated by the specialist to alleviate this symptom.
The incubation period is 10 to 20 days in which there are no symptoms, then the fever appears and the feeling of tiredness and weakness. During the first 3-4 days the rashes appear that have dried up in the last days. The pediatrician will recommend rest and the relevant medications. Although it is a benign disease, there may be complications if the child has altered defenses. Generally the complications that can happen are superinfections in the skin lesions, although it can also affect the ear, the lungs or the central nervous system, which would lead to hospital admission.
Knowing that there are more complications when passing chickenpox in adulthood, in the past, if a child fell ill with chickenpox, increased contact with siblings so that everyone would pass it almost at once. The idea was that all children had to pass chickenpox, which is a mistake, it can also be avoided thanks to the vaccine, which can be given to children from the year.
The chickenpox vaccine It is administered in a single dose generating permanent immunity. It is highly recommended in the case of women of childbearing age who have not yet passed it, because if it were suffered during pregnancy, it could cause problems to the fetus.
Although this vaccine is included, in some communities, in the vaccination schedule after 12 years, if you administer it after 12 months, you will prevent your child from going through a very annoying and unnecessary disease.
