Chicken Pox in children

One of the most notorious diseases among children for being contagious is chicken pox. Varicella-zoster, also known simply as Varicella, is the virus that causes chicken pox infection. There are many ways by which the virus gets transmitted from one person to another. They include airborne transmission, direct contact or droplet transmission. Persons infected with the virus should be avoided and should as much as possible keep themselves away from coming in contact with other persons.

Even those who have just taken the anti-varicella virus vaccination should be shunned. Persons who get infected by chicken pox become a lifetime host of the virus. What keeps it in check is the body's immune system. There are cases of infants who are endowed with partial immunity from the virus, courtesy of the mother's blood, if the mother has earlier contracted the disease and has developed her own immunity from it.

Children whose mothers have not been infected by the chicken pox virus tend to suffer the most when they get infected themselves. Those who have been immunized may still get hit by the virus, but the infection is considered mild. The infection worsens the skin condition of kids afflicted with sunburn or eczema. They are likely to develop blisters thrice more than the average affliction. Severe complications may also harm kids who have earlier taken steroids.

Cases of chicken pox infection dropped sharply when the anti-chicken pox vaccine came into commercial use. Vaccination is a necessity for children below ten years old as they are the age group most vulnerable to contracting the virus. On the other hand, adults or young people beyond the age of ten shows far more severe symptoms when they get hit by the disease. A child infected with the virus normally develops an average of five hundred itchy blisters.

These blisters grow from red-colored spots on the skin and contain fluids. After a time they burst, creating crust-like deformities on the affected skin. They show up first on the skin, after which they spread over to other parts of the body, such as the scalp and trunk. The day after they appear, the fluids turn cloudy and, eventually, scabby.

Chicken pox causes irritating and intense itchiness. Unless treated properly, crusts can also leave lasting marks on the skin. Other symptoms of chicken pox begin to emerge two days after contracting the virus. They include abdominal pain, fever, loss of appetite and headache.

The blisters themselves appear only after a number of days (ten at the minimum and twenty at the maximum) after infection. Testing the blisters and even the blood itself may be conducted to confirm the contamination. The patient's medical history also helps in coming up with a thorough diagnosis.

Antihistamine-containing drugs can be administered along with application of prescribe lotion to contain itchiness. Having kids take a bathe with lukewarm water and oatmeal also eases the itchiness. To bolster immunization, doctor-prescribed anti-viral drugs must be taken at the first sure sign of infection.

Other household members who frequently come in contact with the patient also need similar medication. When this is done promptly and properly, chances of deflecting the disease are high, if not totally at least to a considerable degree. Unlike other vaccines, the anti-varicella vaccine does not require boosters. However, adolescents may take, with proper medical advice, larger doses of the vaccine to shield themselves herpes zoster or shingles.

Common cold in children

What causes common cold? Many believe that hundreds of cold viruses cause infection in the upper respiratory system which in turn brings about common cold. Likely casualties of the infection are noses, throats and ears. Although the most common of these viruses has been identified and known as rhinovirus, the sheer number of cold viruses has made it difficult to find the one dose or vaccination that can effectively prevent or arrest cold.

The natural immune system of the human body, harnessing the full force of its white cells, is still the best anti-dote for common cold. Persons infected by cold viruses scatter the disease when they cough or sneeze. Coughing or sneezing causes the infected person to splutter saliva and sticky liquid called mucus. This liquid contains the virus.

When microscopic amounts of the liquid contaminate the surroundings, such as the air or personal items like towels or handkerchiefs, people who come into contact with them become vulnerable to the infection. The virus gets transmitted through the air we breath or through our unclean hands when we touch our noses. While the act of coughing and sneezing gives rise to the viral contagion, it is also the same process by which persons afflicted with cold prevent the virus from infecting the other parts of the body.

The concentration of the cold virus inside the nose and the hostile reaction of the white cells create irritating sensations that prompt the nerves to summon a sudden blast of air from the lungs, sweeping the virus out of the way. But cold viruses are tenacious. Although of infinitesimal sizes and invisible to the naked eye, they are equipped with mooring contraptions which aid them to fasten themselves onto the interior parts of the nose. They then begin to overpower the cells along the lining of the nose, making it possible for them to multiply even more.

The viral assault prompts our white cells to react and fight, often emerging victorious in a week of deadly scuffle. This explains why after several days we feel relieved from common cold even without medication. Our anti-bodies are hard at work in our defense. Common cold is rather of greater concern to children, whose immune systems are less developed than those of adults.

Cold sends children to the doctor more than any other illness does. Research data reveal that a child contracts the cold virus more or less eight times per year, with each infection lasting up to an average of seven days. It takes three or two days for the symptoms of the disease to emerge when the cold virus infects children. The afflicted child becomes bad-tempered; he or she complains of various discomforts and pain such as sore throat, headache, muscle pain, among many others.

He or she feels weak and physically drained. The child often coughs and sneezes, develops runny nose or gets the nasal cavities congested. In some cases cold in children can cause fever and body chills. As cold viruses have definite life cycles, drugs are hardly effective in speeding up the process of a child's recovery from cold virus infection. But medicines can help arrest further spread of the virus and make the child feel more comfortable.

Although cold is common, children would do well not to take medicine without proper advice. Parents need to be guided by what the doctor prescribes and to oversee the dosage and drugs to be taken by their children. Decongestants ease the irritation and swelling of the nose lining, making it easier for children to breathe. Antihistamines slows down mucus and helps to control sneezing and runny nose.

Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen can be taken when the child feels severe headache and muscle pain. Aside from medication, food and other forms of treatment can help the child recover quickly from cold. Hot food and drinks help ease throat irritation and coughs. Chicken soup in particular has been known for generations to be effective in providing relief from common cold.

Hot showers can freshen stuffy nose. Heat from whatever source induces nasal mucus to dry up. Humidifiers work to loosen the mucus too and ease the irritation brought about by itchy eyes, scratchy and stuffy throats. Children also need to blow air from the nose frequently to get the mucus out of their body. Using disposable tissues rather than handkerchiefs is better for nose blowing.

Above all, total bed rest for one or two days is recommended for children hit by the cold virus. It takes proper nutrition, physical fitness through exercise, adequate sleep and other practices of healthy living to hasten the full development of the immune system. It still is the child's best defense against common cold.

Excerpted from the book How To Take Care Of Your Baby’s Health by Wings Of Success.

This excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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