Chicken Pox

There's no mistaking chicken pox. This is one childhood illness that's easy to spot!

Unless your child is vaccinated against chicken pox, it's almost guaranteed that at some point he or she will come down with this common childhood illness. Fortunately, chicken pox (or varicella) is short lived, lasting about a week. Chicken pox is spread through airborne droplets and is extremely contagious, occurring in about 85% of children under twelve. The good news is that while it is extremely contagious, once children have chicken pox they are immune for life.

How do you know your child has chicken pox? "The first thing the parent sees is the rash," explains infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Ron Gold. "The rash often starts on the face or body and then may spread out onto the arms or legs. It's a very typical rash that doesn't look like anything else. It's a little blister with redness around the base of it. Unfortunately for the child it bothers them more than other rashes because it's very itchy." Other symptoms include fever, runny nose, fatigue, and decreased appetite.

Acetaminophen may help a child feel more comfortable and reduce the fever. But never give a child A-S-A, such as aspirin, as there is a link between it and the sometimes fatal, Reye's syndrome. Dr. Gold suggests that baths can be of great help and that "some children prefer cool water to relieve the itching with starch in it. Some prefer it to be hot so it's worth experimenting."

As for complications, Gold says, "in young children, the most common complication is an infection from scratching the pox. You can't usually stop young ones from scratching, but you can keep their fingernails short so that they don't cause any damage."

Although rare, chicken pox can have more serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis. If you're concerned that your child's illness is taking a turn for the worse, contact your child's doctor, but do so by phone so as to avoid exposing those children and adults with low immune systems to the virus. And if your child is an adolescent when exposed contact your doctor, as serious illness is more common in older children and adults.

Finally, although not widely used, there is a chicken pox vaccine now available. For more information about it, talk to your child's doctor.