Will I get chickenpox again?

Infants and young children are prone to chickenpox, which is highly contagious, so we must do a good job of preventing chickenpox for our children. Many parents do not know enough about chickenpox. In fact, since infants and young children are prone to chickenpox, we can learn some knowledge about chickenpox so that we will not be at a loss when infants and young children get chickenpox and know how to deal with it.

Chickenpox causes great harm to infants and young children's bodies, and parents are very worried. Many parents are afraid that chickenpox will recur easily. In fact, after an episode of chickenpox, infants and young children's bodies already have immunity to chickenpox.

Chickenpox is an acute infectious disease caused by primary infection with the varicella-zoster virus. The infection rate is high. It mainly occurs in infants and young children, and is characterized by fever and the appearance of large numbers of systemic red maculopapular rashes, blisters, and scabs. It is more common in winter and spring. It is highly contagious and can be transmitted through contact or droplets. The incidence rate in susceptible children can reach over 95%, and it is more common in preschool children. The clinical characteristics are the appearance of maculopapular rashes, blisters and crusts in batches on the skin and mucous membranes, and the presence of rashes in different stages at the same time. The disease is a self-limiting disease, and the patient can obtain lifelong immunity after the disease. However, the infection may recur after many years and cause shingles.

The incubation period of the disease is 12-21 days, with an average of 14 days. The onset is acute, with mild to moderate fever and rash. The rash first occurs on the scalp and compressed parts of the trunk and is distributed centripetally. The rash appears in batches during the rash period, which lasts 1 to 6 days. The skin lesions evolve from small red maculopapular rash → pararash → symptomatic rash → shedding, and no skin scars are left after shedding. There is obvious pain and itching during the scar stage, and if secondary infection occurs due to scratching, slight indentations may be left behind. Weak people may develop high fever, and about 4% of adults may develop disseminated varicella and varicella pneumonia.

It is mostly seen in children aged 1 to 10 years old, with an incubation period of 2 to 3 weeks. The onset is acute, and there may be prodromal symptoms such as fever, headache, and general fatigue. A rash appears within 24 hours of onset and quickly turns into round, tense blisters the size of rice grains to peas, surrounded by a noticeable red halo, with the center of the blister shaped like an umbilicus. After about 2 to 3 days, the blisters dry up and form scabs, which then fall off and heal without leaving scars. The lesions are distributed centripetally, starting from the anterior face and then appearing on the trunk and limbs. The number varies, with the largest number on the trunk, followed by the face and head, fewer on the limbs, and even fewer on the palms and soles. Mucous membranes are also often invaded, such as the oral cavity, pharynx, conjunctiva, vulva, and anus. Skin lesions often occur in batches, so papules, blisters and scabs often exist at the same time, and the course of the disease lasts 2 to 3 weeks. If the child has low resistance, the skin lesions may progressively spread throughout the body, forming disseminated varicella. The clinical manifestations of varicella include bullous varicella, hemorrhagic varicella, neonatal varicella, adult varicella, etc.

The child should be isolated early until all the rashes have crusted over. Children who have been in contact with chickenpox should be isolated and observed for 3 weeks. There is no specific treatment for this disease. The main treatment is symptomatic treatment to prevent secondary skin infection, keep it clean and avoid itching. Strengthen care to prevent secondary infection. Actively isolate patients to prevent infection.

Isolate early until the rash is completely crusted and dry. Local treatment is mainly to relieve itching and prevent infection. Gentian violet solution can be applied externally, and antibiotic ointment can be used externally for secondary infection. Antibiotics can be used when the systemic symptoms of secondary infection are severe. Avoid using corticosteroids to prevent the spread and aggravation of chickenpox.

When the herpes breaks or secondary infection occurs, 1% gentian violet solution can be applied locally. If the herpes has not broken, calamine lotion can be applied. Effective antitoxins can be used when there is secondary infection. Hormones should not be used for chickenpox to avoid spreading the virus.

For patients with disseminated varicella in immunocompromised patients, neonatal varicella or varicella pneumonia, encephalitis and other severe cases, antiviral drug treatment should be adopted as soon as possible. Or add interferon-a to inhibit viral replication, prevent viral spread, promote skin lesion healing, accelerate disease recovery, and reduce mortality.

Above we introduced what chickenpox is. We know that chickenpox is common in infants and young children. Many parents are afraid that chickenpox will recur, which will bring greater trouble to treatment. In fact, once chickenpox has occurred, the body will have immunity to it and will not occur again.