Chicken pox is a children' s disease. Adults can get chicken pox as well, but only if they did not have it as they were children. It is a contagious disease, but it is not very serious. With treatment, chicken pox can be cured in almost a week.
However, there are some important things that should be known about chicken pox, so your child will not suffer from any complications. Here is a list of what to do or not to do in when your child is suffering from chicken pox:
1. Do not give your child aspirin when he/ she is suffering from chicken pox. Children should not receive aspirin because the risk of developing reye' s syndrome is highly increased by this drug use. So when your child suffers from fever, because of chicken pox or any other reason, use acetaminophen.
2. Chicken pox is very contagious, so there is no point in trying to keep your family members in other places of the house. Almost two to three weeks after one of your children has been infected with chicken pox, your other kids will have this disease as well, if they have not had it before.
3. If you hear that other children that are close to your child have chicken pox, make sure that you look for signs of this disease in your child for about three weeks. This is the incubation period of chicken pox.
4. Do not send your child to daycare or school if he/ she is suffering from chicken pox.
5. You can send your child to school or daycare, if he/ she is suffering from a mild chicken pox. However, be sure to do that only after your child is well enough and can take part in all activities.
6. Watch your child very carefully and keep a strict hygiene if your child has chicken pox lesions that are open. He/ she could develop infections because of this condition.
7. If your child has chicken pox, you must tell the people in charge at school or daycare, so they can take proper measures.
8. Go with your child to the doctor and give him/ her the vaccine against chicken pox. This is a very safe vaccine. Children that are more than one year old can receive this vaccine.
So, here are some of the most important things to know about what to do when your child has chicken pox. Follow them and everything will be all right.
By: Groshan Fabiola