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Chicken Pox

No Longer an Inevitable Rite of Passage

By Neilia Sherman

The big question when a child gets a rash is often, "Is it chicken pox?" Many parents have been called by daycare staff to pick up their child only to find out it was a simple rash.

Typically chicken pox begins with symptoms such as a low fever, headache, flu-like feelings and a rash, which may occur at the same time as the other symptoms or one to two days later. At first, the rash appears as little red spots that cover the face, scalp and trunk of the body. Some people get a few of these spots, while others may get hundreds. The spots quickly develop into small blisters filled with clear fluid. When the fluid becomes cloudy, the blisters break open and form scabs that fall off in one to two weeks. These scabs are extremely itchy.

Natalie Froom from Thornhill, Ontario, Canada, recently had all three of her children, who are all under 5, come down with the chicken pox. She used treats and special activities to get them through the worst of it. "I made them feel special that they had chicken pox," she says. Oatmeal and bicarbonate baths were also comforting to her children, as well as ibuprofen to treat any fever.

It is important to remember that children are not to be treated with aspirin. Giving aspirin to children with chicken pox can lead to Reye's syndrome, which causes brain and liver damage. It is recommended to use acetaminophen as an alternative.

Calamine lotion is often used to soothe the uncomfortable itching. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the possible use of antihistamine products that can also help. It is important to keep children calm, cool and dry, as getting warm and sweaty will make the itching worse. Another important but difficult recommendation is to try to keep your kids from scratching or picking at scabs due to the risk of scarring and bacterial infections. Cutting nails short or putting socks on their hands at night might help.

Want to see more?

• Schedule of Childhood Vaccinations
• Rotavirus: What You Should Know
• Preschool/Daycare Checklist
• A Need for Needles?
• A Guide to Commonly Prescribed Medications for Children
• Talk about it!

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