Are they Moon craters? Is it a volcanic zone? No, it is a child full of scabs. He has chickenpox. If you have not had chickenpox, watch out! This child is highly contagious.
What is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is an eruptive illness (you get red blotches on your skin) and it is contagious.
Is caused by a virus of the herpes family. It is related to the virus responsible for occasional sores in the mouth.
A virus is a tiny living being that can cause contagious illnesses.
Watch out! Chickenpox is contagious
How can a boy or a girl with chickenpox pass it on to us?
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Talking or breathing in front of us. |
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If we touch the spots that have come out as a result of the illness. |
How CANNOT a boy or a girl with chickenpox pass it on to us?
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Chatting by messenger. |
Chickenpox affects mostly children between 2 and 10. Adults may also catch it. In this case it tends to be more serious.
When a child has chickenpox, usually he or she does not come to school, because the child is feeling weak and because he or she could pass it on to us. When he or she comes back, it means that the child is cured and that he or she is no longer contagious.
Spots and other symptoms of chickenpox
His favorite seasons are spring and autumn. If you have chickenpox, you may:
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Have a temperature (up to 40ºC) |
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Feel tired |
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Have a dry cough |
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Have small red blotches on your skin |
The spots are the main symptom. They come out mostly around the head, the face and the chest, but they can also appear on your arms and legs.
At first, a few red blotches appear on the skin. After a while, more blotches appear and a small bag full of a clear liquid covers them. When those go away, others appear. As days go by, these spots dry up and turn into scabs.
To have chickenpox can be rather tiresome, but if we follow the doctor’s and the parent’s advice, in a few weeks we will be like new again.
It’s so itchy!
Perhaps the most annoying thing about chickenpox is the itchiness. The spots are so itchy! But you must be strong and not scratch, because that could leave marks and scars for ever. There are creams and drugs that may soothe the itch. Ask your chemist.
If you have chickenpox, you should definitely cut your nails. This way it will be more difficult to get hurt if you happen to scratch yourself.
If you have chickenpox, you should NOT bath or shower frequently, because this would make it more difficult for the spots to dry.
Once is enough
There is a vaccination to prevent chickenpox, that you will be given when you are 12 if you have not had chickenpox already, or if your paediatrician did not give it to you when you were little.
Look at the positive side: you can only catch chickenpox once in a lifetime. So, if you have it or if you have already had it, you will never catch it again.