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2 Royston Pde Asquith 2077
Email: megan@roystonclinic.com
"We Listen"
Phone:0294766307
Fax:0294773591 .
Chickenpox.
Chickenpox is a disease, which affects all ages. It is most common in young children.
Chickenpox is usually preceded by a fever, and flu like illness. After about three days, the spots begin to appear.
The spots begin as a red mark, then develop into a clear blister, then become a blister filled with pus.
After about one more day that the blister bursts, leaving a dark red sore with lighter red around the outside.
Chickenpox has an incubation period of about three weeks. This means it is about three weeks after a person contracts the virus before the symptoms begin to appear. It is very infectious and easily spread by droplet infection in the fluey stage of the disease before the spots appear.
The long incubation period means that epidemics of chickenpox are sporadic and hard to stop.
Chickenpox is caused by the virus called Varicella. This virus may activate shingles in older people, and so it is advisable for children with chickenpox to be kept away from their frail and elderly relatives .
The chickenpox spots come out in crops. The spots will go through the cycle as described above and that is, start as little red spots, turn to clear blisters, then turn into pus blisters. Then they become the dark red centred scabby spots, paler red around the outside. The spots usually last about a week to eight days.
The New South Wales the compulsory exclusion from school period for chickenpox is one week after the spots first appeared.
Treatment of chickenpox.
The treatment of chickenpox is symptomatic and involves the use of paracetamol and plenty of fluids and anti itch agents. These include antihistamines, calamine lotion and oatmeal baths.
You can make an oatmeal bath simply by taking some oatmeal (porridge mix), about a cupful, and putting it in a short stocking and swirling around in the bath for a minute or so until the water becomes slightly milky in colour. The bath should be lukewarm only. Then soak in the bath from about 40 minutes helps stop the itch of chickenpox for hours.
Chickenpox Vaccine
Varicella Vaccine is effective and best given at 18months of age. . If one child has early chicken pox it may be worthwhile vaccinating brothers sisters and parents who have not had the illness, though prevention is not guaranteed in this case, because some of the family members may have already contracted the virus before the immunisation is given.
Chikenpox remains a very common and unpleasant illness, though serious consequences such as encephalitis are very rare. The best protection is by vaccinating your children at 12 - 18 months. In NSW there is a school based program for 12 year olds who have not had the 18 month shot.
Date edited 02/02/2008
