Can infants get chickenpox? Features of chickenpox in newborns and infants. Symptoms of chickenpox in newborns

Chickenpox belongs to the category of childhood diseases that a person must suffer at a young age.

It usually occurs between the ages of 2 and 6 years, after which the body develops strong immunity.

But sometimes older or very tiny patients become infected with this disease, and in these cases it is much more severe.

So, what is the danger of chickenpox in infants and newborns, and what do parents need to know?

Can a newborn get chickenpox?

Chickenpox in children under one year of age occurs in several cases:

if the mother does not have immunity to the disease (the woman passes her immunity to the baby through breast milk), and the child has been in contact with the carrier;
if a woman suffered from chickenpox immediately before giving birth, immunity has not yet formed in her body, the baby is already born sick;
Sometimes children who are bottle-fed become infected with chickenpox.

In any of the above situations, the disease is severe and is accompanied by serious complications due to an imperfect immune system.

Breastfeeding (if the mother has immunity) will help protect a newborn from chickenpox. During the first three months, children who received antibodies through milk do not become infected even after contact with sick people. Subsequently, the risk increases slightly.

Symptoms

Chickenpox in children under one year of age occurs differently, depending on the intensity of the disease and the presence or absence of antibodies in the body.

The congenital form (begins no later than 11 days after birth) begins abruptly, with high temperature, vomiting, and sometimes convulsions appear.

The baby refuses to breastfeed, becomes lethargic and capricious, or, conversely, too excitable.

After a few days of such symptoms, rashes characteristic of the disease appear, and in difficult cases they can cover the baby’s body very thickly, including not only the skin, but also the mucous membranes, genitals, and eyelids.

The erased picture of the disease is characterized by low fever, headache, runny nose, general malaise, and papules appear later. Sometimes the disease begins with the appearance of a rash, which is considered a good sign, since in in this case Chickenpox is easy to recognize and appropriate treatment can be initiated.

In order to identify chickenpox in time, parents need to know what papules look like. They resemble small spots that may rise slightly above the skin. After some time, a bubble with transparent contents up to 3 mm in diameter appears in their center, around which there is slight redness.

Rash on a child's face

The appearance of rashes has a wave-like character - at first single papules appear, then there are more of them. After some time (1-3 days), the bubbles burst and form crusts, which in turn dry out and fall off. At mild form disease, this process takes about 5 days, in severe cases – up to two weeks.

A person with chickenpox is contagious for about 7-10 days - two days before the first elements of the rash appear and 5-7 days after.

How dangerous is chickenpox in infants?

Let's find out whether chickenpox is dangerous for infants. Chickenpox, especially its severe forms, is extremely dangerous for infants, especially for babies under 3 months. Complications of the disease include:

damage to the central nervous system and internal organs;
false croup and suffocation due to dryness of the larynx;
approximately 1/3 of babies under the age of one year die from chickenpox.

Only a specialist can diagnose chickenpox in infants - the diagnosis is made based on a survey of the mother and examination skin. In controversial cases, a blood test may be prescribed for a young patient.

Treatment

Treatment of chickenpox in severe form is carried out in a hospital setting, and it is better for children under 3 months to go to the hospital even with a mild form of the disease.

Any special therapeutic methods in this case are not used, and all measures are aimed at combating symptoms, preventing the spread of the rash and suppuration of the blisters.

To reduce the temperature, small patients are prescribed Ibuprofen and Paracetamol in the form of suspensions or rectal suppositories. You should not overuse antipyretics - at a temperature of 37-37.5 degrees, viruses in the body die much faster, so you should give them to your baby only when the thermometer shows 37.5-38 or higher.
To help the body cope with the disease, infants may be prescribed antiviral drugs– for example, “Viferon”.
To dry the blisters, they must be lubricated with brilliant green, a solution of potassium permanganate, fucorcin or Fenistil gel, which not only treats rashes well, but also relieves itching. It is best to lubricate the skin not with a cotton pad, but with clean hands, since cotton wool fibers can spread infection throughout the body. It is recommended to treat rashes about twice a day - overuse of brilliant green can lead to an imbalance on the surface of the skin, which causes scars to form on it.
The baby’s nails should be cut short, and special shirts should be put on his hands so that he does not scratch the rashes on his body, otherwise a bacterial infection may join the viral infection.
It is not recommended to overfeed a child or force him to eat food if he has chickenpox. For babies who are on breastfeeding, breastfeeding should be given upon request, and those who have already refused mother's milk, a warm drink is necessary to remove toxins from the body.
For Get well soon Hygiene is very important. The child needs to change clothes and diapers as often as possible, and they should be washed immediately. hot water and iron it. To make the baby more comfortable, parents should avoid wearing too tight and synthetic clothing and give preference to cotton clothing.
A baby with chickenpox should be examined regularly by a doctor to rule out possible complications.

You should not bathe your child during the period of chickenpox, as the infection can spread throughout the body along with the water. In addition, due to moisture, rashes take much longer to dry. The baby's folds can be wiped with a damp towel and sprinkled with talcum powder.

Prevention

The best prevention of chickenpox is breastfeeding - in children who have received immunity from their mother, the disease is much easier even if infected.

In addition, it is necessary to limit the baby’s contact with potential carriers of the infection - these include people with herpes on the lips.

One of the most effective preventive measures against chickenpox - vaccination.

Vaccinations are given to children from one year old, so to protect the baby, the mother and all family members who have not had this disease need to be vaccinated, especially if they go to places where they can become infected.

Conclusion

Chickenpox is a dangerous disease for infants, but with timely and proper treatment it is quite possible to cope with it. Parents should take their baby to the doctor immediately after symptoms appear, and if there is a high temperature, call " ambulance“and do not protest if the doctor insists on hospitalization.

Video on the topic

Chickenpox is a disease caused by the activity of the herpes simplex virus Varicella Zoster (herpes type 3). Occurs in mild, moderate and severe forms. Characteristic symptoms- fever and rash. It is considered a typical childhood infection, although. Doctors say that it is better to get chickenpox in childhood, since at this age the disease is much easier and after recovery, stable, lifelong immunity is developed.

All undertaken therapeutic measures are aimed only at alleviating the patient’s condition and preventing complications. Next, we will consider how chickenpox begins and progresses, what the incubation period is, as well as the first symptoms and methods of treating the disease in children.

What is chickenpox?

Chickenpox in children is an infection caused by a certain type herpes, namely varicella-zoster. More than one and a half million people get chickenpox every year, 90% of whom are children under twelve years of age. Most often, little fidgets “pick up” viral infection in children's institutions - if at least one carrier of VZV appears in the acute stage, it is extremely difficult to avoid infection.

On average, the incubation period is from 10 to 21 days - this is the time from the moment of contact with the mucous membrane to the first symptoms. Virus chickenpox It is characterized by extraordinary volatility, it is carried by air currents and wind (but still does not fly into the window), which is why it is called “chickenpox”. You can become infected from a human carrier not only at arm's length, but also within a radius of 50 meters.

Another interesting fact is that the pathogen can live exclusively in the human body. Outside of it, he dies within 5-10 minutes.

Causes

Chickenpox is caused by a virus of the herpes family. The population's susceptibility to this virus is very high, so 70-90% of people manage to contract the disease in childhood or adolescence. As a rule, a child picks up an infection in kindergarten or school. The source of the disease is an infected person in the last 10 days incubation period virus and the first 5-7 days from the moment the rash appears.

Chickenpox is believed to be the only viral disease, which remains the most common infectious disease among the population childhood until today.

The virus is not adapted to the external environment and dies almost immediately as soon as it leaves the human body. The source of infection will only be the person whose disease occurs in active form, it begins two days before the first signs of chickenpox appear in a child.

Infants are also seriously ill and only in very rare cases:

with intrauterine infection (the mother gets sick in last week pregnancy);
in the absence of breastfeeding and, accordingly, the mother’s protective antibodies;
in severe immunodeficiency conditions (incl. cancer diseases and AIDS).

How does chickenpox begin: the first signs

All parents should know how chickenpox begins in children. This way they can start treatment as quickly as possible and prevent the development of complications.

First, the virus enters the nasopharyngeal mucosa, respiratory tract, then actively multiplies in epithelial cells, and this is how the latent period of the disease proceeds. The latent, initial period of the disease is called incubation. This means that the person will look healthy, but the infection is already spreading throughout the body.
The onset of chickenpox occurs like a banal acute respiratory infection, with typical symptoms: elevated body temperature, weakness, chills, drowsiness, headaches, children become more capricious and lethargic.
Then the virus enters the lymph and blood vessels, accumulates there, spreads throughout the body, which causes characteristic features- fever and then rash.
Next, a rash forms on the body. Initially, it looks like small, individually scattered red spots different sizes(see photo of chickenpox below).

As a rule, the first morphological elements on the skin appear in the head area (its scalp), as well as on the back. Subsequently, rashes can be found not only on any part of the skin, but also on the mucous membranes of the mouth or eyes. The skin of the feet and palms is never affected by the pathological process.

Literally a few hours after the first rash appears, the spots turn into small bubbles filled with liquid. Along with the appearance of the blisters, their unbearable itching begins, and the child begins to scratch the rash.

The chickenpox rash does not appear immediately; its elements may appear on the skin within about a week. Thus, children will have skin rashes in three different stages.

When a rash appears, the skin itches and itches, and parents need to ensure that the baby does not scratch the itchy areas. This will help avoid attaching a secondary bacterial infection.

Incubation period

How many days is chickenpox contagious? Within 1-3 weeks, this is how long the incubation period lasts, the chickenpox pathogen does not bother the child and does not manifest itself in any way. Considering the “volatility” of the virus, which easily spreads over a distance of twenty meters, it is possible to become infected even through ventilation openings.

The most contagious disease is considered to be in the active phase, which begins 2 days before the appearance of the first characteristic rash. The disease enters the inactive phase five days after the last blisters appear on the body.

At this time, the virus stops spreading, the rashes dry out and heal, and the child recovers. Treatment of chickenpox must take place under quarantine conditions; the child is isolated from other children for the entire duration of the illness.

During the entire incubation period, a child infected with chickenpox may look absolutely active and healthy. However, even without any external signs disease, he already poses a threat to others.

What does chickenpox look like (photo)

In order not to make a mistake with the diagnosis, not to miss the first appearing symptoms, it is very important to know what it looks like unpleasant disease. In children, chickenpox first appears outwardly as reddish spots on the surface of the skin, which then form small blisters filled with liquid (see photo).

The rashes that occur during chickenpox have the following characteristic features:

their appearance resembles transparent drops;
the lower part is surrounded by a scarlet rim, often swollen;
fresh rashes coexist on the skin with already dried brown crusts.

Skin rashes appear constantly, one wave follows another. The period of appearance of new rashes can last up to 9 days (usually 3-5 days). The child remains contagious for another 5 days after the last rash appears.

For babies under 6 months of age, whose mothers had chickenpox in childhood, the virus, as a rule, does not pose a danger, since antibodies to it, betrayed by the mother through the placenta, still remain in their blood. After suffering from chickenpox 97% of people develop lifelong immunity, so re-infection is rare.

Symptoms of chickenpox in children

The period of rash lasts from 4 to 8 days, after which recovery begins. The yellow-brown crusts that appear in place of the bubbles disappear after about a week, leaving no trace. But this is only if the mother helped the baby survive a period of severe itching - she prevented scratching and infection from getting into the wound.

Premature tearing of the cortical layer can lead to the appearance of a “pockmark” that can remain for life.

Among the main symptoms of chickenpox are the following:

Sharply increasing body temperature (up to 40 degrees C);
Pain in the head, limbs and muscles;
Irritability, tearfulness of the baby, severe weakness and apathy;
Unreasonable anxiety, sleep disturbances;
Decreased appetite and even refusal to eat;
The appearance of characteristic rashes of spots and blisters on the entire surface of the body, which do not affect only the surfaces of the palms and soles.

These signs appear 1-2 days before the rash appears on the child’s body. He may lose his appetite, it is observed Bad mood. Sometimes this period is absent, and parents simply notice a rash on the skin.

All stages of chickenpox in children follow each other sequentially and are characterized by certain typical symptoms.

Itching is the most unpleasant sign of chickenpox. During the period of formation, opening, and growth of blisters, the body itches, children suffer from unbearable itching. It’s difficult to explain to a one-year-old baby why he shouldn’t comb or pick off dried crusts.

A vicious circle appears:

the patient is actively itching;
serous fluid pours out;
the virus spreads to new areas;
further infection occurs;
Sometimes there are 100 or more itchy blisters on the body.

Take note:

It is important to relieve the itching, otherwise the child will definitely scratch the scabs. If the surface has not yet completely dried, a deep scar will form at the site of the bubble;
Gradually (not in one year), many of the depressions resolve, but some of the holes remain for life.

Forms of the disease

Form of chickenpox in children	Symptoms
Lightweight	Characterized by single rashes, no fever and feeling unwell. Herpetic pimples appear in only 2 - 3 days. Doctors suggest that the disease occurs in a mild form due to strong immunity or hereditary resistance to the virus.
Average	The body becomes covered with spots characteristic of chickenpox, the patient develops a high temperature and symptoms of intoxication of the body. With chickenpox moderate severity body temperature no more than 38 degrees C.
Heavy	The temperature rises sharply to 40°C, and the patient's entire body becomes covered with an itchy rash. The rashes can merge into a continuous painful crust, intense itching leads to psycho-emotional breakdowns and prevents you from sleeping at night. All the symptoms of severe intoxication of the body are present: headaches and muscle pain, weakness, fever.

Complications

With proper treatment and personal hygiene, complications from chickenpox in children are rare. Dangerous complications sometimes occur with the use of certain medications. For example, it is strictly forbidden to give aspirin to children, this can lead to dangerous defeat liver (Reye's syndrome). You cannot combine chickenpox and taking hormonal and glucocorticosteroid drugs.

Among the most dangerous consequences appear:

Viral encephalitis (brain inflammation);
Herpes zoster - severe chronic illness, caused by the same virus, but manifests itself extremely rarely in weakened patients;
Neurological consequences of viral damage occur during early intrauterine infection, during organogenesis, when the mother falls ill in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Parents must be very careful and do not let your baby scratch the rash, because the wounds can easily become infected.

Diagnostics

To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor may write a referral for lab tests for chickenpox:

Light microscopy of elements with silvering of reagents.
Serological blood test to identify the viral agent and determine the activity of antibodies to the pathogen.

Be sure to consult a doctor if:

The child has eczema, asthma, or weakened the immune system;
Fever lasts more than 6 days or exceeds 39 degrees.
Any large areas appear red, swollen, and draining of pus.
The child has coughing, vomit, headache, drowsiness, confusion, stiff neck, photophobia, or difficulty walking or breathing.

How to treat chickenpox in children

Treatment of chickenpox in children takes place at home; only if any complications arise, the doctor may suggest hospitalization. Parents should help the child cope with the unpleasant condition and alleviate suffering from an itchy rash.

First of all, for prevention possible complications it is necessary to adhere to strict bed rest throughout the febrile period. If a child has lesions of the oral mucosa, then he needs to adhere to a gentle diet, avoiding salty foods, citrus fruits and other foods that irritate the oral cavity.

Standard therapy is the prescription of antihistamines to relieve itching, antipyretic drugs and antiseptics (usually aniline dyes).

To reduce a high temperature reaction, antipyretic drugs are recommended in appropriate doses, except for Aspirin;
To remove severe itching, you can ask your pediatrician to prescribe you an antihistamine. Antihistamines are prescribed to relieve and relieve symptoms of itching. medicines, for example, Suprastin, Fenistil in drops, Zodak, and others;
If the elements of the rash are localized in the oral cavity, it is recommended to gargle with Furacillin solution several times during the day and always after meals;
If the eyes are affected, a special eye ointment, Acyclovir, is placed behind the eyelids.

Prohibited: amidopyrine, aspirin ( extremely dangerous for children with chickenpox).

Antibiotic therapy is used exclusively in cases of bacterial infection, which usually occurs due to scratching of the vesicles. Therefore, in order to avoid complications, constant monitoring of the child’s behavior is necessary; it is best for children to wear light gloves. Overheating should be avoided as sweating increases itching.

To prevent infection of the vesicles, the following antiseptic disinfectants are used:

1% alcohol solution brilliant green (zelenka);
Castellani liquid;
aqueous solution of fucorcin;
aqueous solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).

When treating elements of a rash with brilliant green, despite all its disadvantages, you can easily and quickly determine when new rashes will stop appearing.

General care for children with chickenpox

Nutrition should be complete and contain increased amounts of proteins and vitamins. It is best to give preference to easily digestible foods (dairy-vegetable diet). In case of damage to the mucous membrane oral cavity Spicy and sour foods should be avoided.
An important condition necessary for compliance with the treatment of chickenpox in children is providing the patient with plenty of fluids. Most complications arise from dehydration; the disease can affect the nervous system. Drink plenty of fluids will help remove viral decay products and toxins. Need to drink boiled water, mineral water without gas, unsweetened compotes, weak teas, herbal decoctions. Freshly squeezed juices dilute by half with water.
Chickenpox can be treated folk remedies. It is advisable to give your child fresh blueberries or blueberry juice. Active substances The fruits of this plant have antiviral properties. It is also recommended to give children an infusion of a mixture of linden blossom, raspberries, willow bark and anise (brew at the rate of 300 ml of water per 1 tablespoon of the mixture).

Is it possible to bathe a child with chickenpox?

There have been heated discussions on this issue for many years. Now most pediatricians believe that water procedures are permitted subject to certain conditions:

Swimming with chickenpox is allowed only in the absence of ulcerative-necrotic changes in the elements of the rash– to put it simply, in the absence of wounds into which bacteria can easily penetrate.
You can bathe from the second or third day of the disease.
The water temperature should not be high - 38-40 degrees. This will prevent the crusts formed after scratching at the site of the rash from getting wet.
Do not wash your child with regular bathing products (soaps, shower gels, shampoos).
Long periods should be avoided water procedures. Frequent (about 5-6 times a day) short (one to three minutes) showers with low pressure are recommended.
Don't use a washcloth to avoid picking off pimples and subsequent formation of scars on damaged areas of the skin.
After taking a bath, you should not dry yourself with a towel. Better body wet yourself carefully with the softest towel to avoid damage to inflamed skin.
Swimming with chickenpox not recommended in the first two days when the disease progresses and its main symptom is a constant elevated body temperature.
At the end of the water procedures, the child’s body in areas of rashes should be treat with brilliant green.

If the parents decide not to wash the child for the entire period of the rash, then the first bath should be carried out as carefully as possible to disinfect the healing vesicles. To do this, doctors advise preparing a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The color of the solution is pale pink; a brighter shade will create a strong effect on the skin and can lead to burns.

Is it possible to walk if you have chickenpox?

While the child complains of weakness, new pimples appear, he has a fever, walking is strictly forbidden, as the virus is actively spreading. At this time, all the strength of the immune system is used to fight chickenpox, so the likelihood of contracting another disease increases greatly, which will be quite difficult.

If the baby does not have a fever or new rashes, and the weather is very good outside, then there are no contraindications for a walk. The only thing you need to take into account is that the child may still be contagious and walk in in public places(parks, playgrounds) unethical. If you live in a private house, then a small amount fresh air definitely won't hurt.

If on the way to the exit with a patient in the active phase of the disease you need to go through the entrance, it is better to abandon the idea of taking a walk so as not to infect your neighbors.

Prevention

The only one effective measure prevention of chickenpox - vaccination. It is advisable to carry it out to women who have not had chickenpox and are planning a pregnancy, infants who have older brothers and sisters, children and adults with a defective immune system, and elderly people.

The only way to guarantee protection from the chickenpox virus is by vaccination - the introduction of a weakened virus into the body. This is the main method of preventing the disease. It is difficult to protect yourself from airborne infection in any other way. The best way to combat chickenpox is a stable immune system.

You should also always remember about personal protective measures if one of your family members gets chickenpox:

Mandatory isolation of the patient in a separate room;
Allocation of individual dishes and towels for the patient, the cleanliness of which also needs to be monitored separately;
Mandatory daily ventilation of the room in which there is a patient with chickenpox;
Wearing a mask or gauze bandage when in contact with an infected person.

In children recurrent chickenpox– this is an exceptional case, because immunity after past illness lasts for life. But this is true for those kids whose protective system is strengthened and functioning properly.

The cause of chickenpox is the Varicella-Zoster virus from the herpes family. It is very volatile and spreads quickly by airborne droplets. To become infected, it is not necessary to have contact with a patient; it is enough to be in the same room with him, because it is not for nothing that the infection is called chickenpox.

Possible methods of infection and the likelihood of developing the disease

It is generally accepted that babies under 3 months of age who are breastfed are protected by maternal immunity from many diseases, including chickenpox. Having had it once, the body produces antibodies that protect the person for the rest of his life. Therefore, if the mother had chickenpox, the child will not get it until this age.

You can infect your baby before birth if a pregnant woman gets chickenpox 2-3 days before the baby is born. This is due to the fact that it takes time to produce antibodies, 5-7 days, and the body does not have time to cope with the virus. The baby will be born with chickenpox, which in this case can be severe.

There is also no protection for babies whose mothers did not have chickenpox and were not vaccinated against this infection. There is a high probability of being infected in children who are artificial nutrition. Their illness can also be very severe.

All babies over 3 months are more likely to get chickenpox through contact with someone who is sick. During this period, those who are breastfed continue to receive the mother's antibodies, so the disease is mild. Other babies tolerate the virus more difficult.

Why is chickenpox dangerous?

Chickenpox is a disease characterized by blistering rashes. The main feature is that they do not all appear at once, but in several stages. The rash period lasts from 3 to 8 days. Each time the appearance of a rash is accompanied by a worsening of the condition, the following appear:

High temperature that is not controlled by medications;
- headache;
- body aches;
- itching.

The rashes are located all over the baby’s body, on the external and internal organs, mucous. This is one of the danger factors; the child may begin to choke. He refuses to eat because pain and becomes very moody.

Severe itching and pain are constant companions of chickenpox. By scratching the blisters, the child provokes new rashes. Acne fluid is highly contagious and can easily be used to infect another person. When hitting open wound other infections, the child’s condition worsens and may appear purulent boils and bloody pimples, which will leave scars after healing.

Infection of chickenpox in infants under one year of age can cause the development of serious diseases such as encephalitis, pneumonia, and otitis media. After chickenpox, sometimes there are disturbances in the functioning of the kidneys, heart, nervous system, musculoskeletal system. Repeated infection leads to the appearance of shingles, and the infection is very painful.

It is known that complications occur in children with weakened immune systems or with congenital disorders in this area. If the baby was born strong and healthy, then you should not panic when the first symptoms of chickenpox appear. It is necessary to call a doctor and then strictly follow his recommendations. In most cases, the disease proceeds without complications and in a mild form.

As a rule, children get chickenpox between the ages of 2 and 7 years. It is at this time that babies begin to visit kindergarten and school. The result is contact with already sick children and infection entering the body.

For many, chickenpox in infancy is nonsense. But is it really so? Can a child under 1 year of age get sick and is it dangerous?

Manifestation of the disease in children

First of all, you should understand the question of how chickenpox manifests itself in children under the age of one year. The causative agent of the disease is of three types. All people are one hundred percent susceptible to chickenpox. The disease can easily affect anyone. It got its name because of its similarity external symptoms with smallpox. Previously people It was believed that chickenpox was a kind of underlying disease. And since it passes quickly, it is called chickenpox.

The disease occurs in several stages:

Incubation period. The causative agent of chickenpox enters the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. The period lasts on average two weeks. In this case, no symptoms are observed and the patient himself is not contagious.
First stage. The virus that has accumulated on the mucous membrane begins to enter the blood. The patient may experience a rash without appearing. The patient is already contagious. The stage lasts no more than two days.
Primary acute stage . Lasts for 4-7 weeks. The virus penetrates the skin through the blood and begins to actively multiply. Characteristic ulcers appear on the body. In this case, the virus also penetrates the nervous system.
Recovery. At normal operation The immune system gets rid of the disease 4-7 weeks after infection. The patient is no longer contagious, but is still a carrier of the virus. The pathogen remains in the nervous system for life, but does not manifest itself in any way.

If the child’s immunity is weak, then the acute stage will manifest itself again. In this case, the rashes will appear in those places where the nervous system has been affected by the virus. Often doesn't appear. The patient feels pain in the area of the affected nerve. This is how the disease manifests itself in older people.

Modern medicine has not yet been able to find a way to completely destroy the virus in the body.

The causative agents of chickenpox are resistant to m and are quite tenacious. The goal of treatment is to eliminate symptoms in the acute phase. It is impossible to completely remove the virus from the affected nervous system.

What dangers does the disease pose?

At the age of 4-7 years, chickenpox is easily tolerated by children. The body, if it is not weakened by other diseases or lack of vitamins, can easily cope with the virus. Chickenpox at this age is not dangerous for the baby.

But in newborns, just like chickenpox, chickenpox is difficult to tolerate. All symptoms intensify and the child feels unwell. In this case, the disease can leave behind complications:

Conjunctivitis. An infectious disease affecting the mucous membrane eyeball.
Meningitis. Inflammation of the membrane of the spinal cord and, mainly, the brain.
Sami the sores may begin to rot. Also at the site of the rash.
If the chickenpox virus gets on the mucous membrane of the eyeball, then the baby may experience visual impairment.
Dysbacteriosis. The intestinal microflora dies, which causes disruption of the gastrointestinal tract.
They can “join” chickenpox other infectious diseases . The most common type is viral pneumonia.
Skin suffers. In newborns, it is rare, but purulent dermatitis is recorded. Also in rare cases, necrosis or death of part of the skin is observed.
Myocarditis. Viral infection of the heart muscle.
In rare cases it is observed brain damage.

In the following photographs you can clearly see examples of the appearance of chickenpox rash in the smallest children:

Useful information from doctors

Once the diagnosis is made, treatment should begin. If we are talking about patients aged 4-7 years, then fighting the disease does not require much effort. Most often, medications are prescribed to reduce the symptoms of chickenpox. If we are talking about newborn children, then the approach changes a little. In this case, therapy pursues several goals, namely:

First of all, they try to relieve the symptoms. To reduce itching, systemic antihistamines are prescribed. IN Lately Doctors are trying to use these drugs less. This is due to the fact that the reception antihistamines reduces the body's immune response. This process increases the risk of complications. Also, in case of high temperature, antipyretic drugs are prescribed.
Need to reduce time acute period diseases. If this is not done, the risk of complications increases. To shorten acute phase it is necessary to reduce the “speed” of virus reproduction. Doctors prescribe. As a rule, and are prescribed. Drugs in this group not only suppress the reproduction of viruses, but also stimulate the functioning of the newborn’s immune system.
The main task is to prevent complications of infection on the skin. To do this, the ulcers must be constantly treated. You should try to prevent the baby from scratching the rash. Strict bed rest is also prescribed.

It is most often used to disinfect the skin in our country. But in the world medical practice This method has already been abandoned. For these purposes they use. Often the rash also appears on the oral mucosa. In this case, Furacilin or herbal infusions are used for treatment.

It is important to monitor your baby's hygiene. The newborn should be given more often in baths with the addition of herbs. Chamomile and yarrow are good for this. You can also add a little to the bath baking soda. The procedure will help reduce the baby's itching.

All toys that the baby uses and the room where he is located must be clean; constantly carry out wet cleaning. You should also periodically ventilate the room.

It is necessary to limit the baby's contacts. It is better for a newborn to be cared for by a person who has already had chickenpox. Adults have a hard time dealing with the disease, and they also have an increased risk of complications. Therefore, if the mother has not experienced chickenpox, it is better to entrust the care of the baby to other relatives.

Opinion of the famous doctor Evgeny Komarovsky

A well-known doctor, whose opinion many parents listen to, has an approach to the disease in a newborn that is similar to the official medical opinion. makes the following recommendations:

Parents should pay close attention to their newborn children. Many people simply “coat” the baby with brilliant green. But she doesn't have medicinal properties, therefore it is necessary to use medications;
A child under 1 year of age should not be given aspirin as an antipyretic. The drug can worsen the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
The baby should not be allowed to scratch the rash. Because of this, the wound will bother you for a very long time. It is necessary to constantly cut the newborn’s nails, wear special mittens and distract the baby;
Hygiene is very important. The doctor draws attention to the fact that a sick newborn’s linen, including bedding, must be changed daily. You should also constantly bathe your baby in herbal baths;
It is necessary to monitor the baby's body temperature. Overheating cannot be allowed. In this case, the child will begin to sweat, which will increase the itching.

According to Komarovsky, if you maintain hygiene, do not overheat the baby and do not allow the rash to be scratched, then chicken pox can go away without complications and without using medications. But this will only happen if the newborn’s immune system is not impaired by other diseases.

It is especially dangerous if a child gets chickenpox in the first month of life. In this case, you must definitely visit an experienced doctor.

Chickenpox or varicella is a disease manifested by moderate intoxication of the body and a small blistering rash on the skin. Pathological process, developing in children aged 2 to 6 years, junior schoolchildren, adolescents or adults, proceeds without complications and ends with recovery. At the same time, when untimely treatment chickenpox in infants can lead to a number of adverse consequences for the child's body. Therefore, it is so important to know whether a newborn can avoid infection with chickenpox, how this disease manifests itself on early stages development, how young children tolerate it, and what methods are used to combat this pathology in infants.

Characteristics of the pathogen and route of infection

Chickenpox in newborns develops as a result of infection with the varicella-zoster virus (Varicella Zoster, Herpesviridae). The causative agents of the disease have weak resistance to the external environment: it has been proven that they are easily deactivated by exposure to sunlight and other sources ultraviolet radiation, elevated temperatures, in conditions of lack of moisture.

A child can only become infected with chickenpox from someone who is already sick. The most common routes of transmission of infection in infants three months of age and older are:

airborne - with a fine aerosol released by a sick person when talking to children, coughing, sneezing;
contact-household - when using shared towels, toys and other items.

Do children under two months of age get chickenpox? Dr. Komarovsky and other pediatricians argue that babies 1 or 2 months old can get chickenpox only if their mothers do not have acquired immunity to this disease. Often, such children are infected with the varicella-zoster virus transplacentally during fetal development.

The mechanism of pathology development

The incidence of chickenpox in infants in large populated areas 2 times higher than in rural areas. It has been noted that the peak of chickenpox epidemics occurs in autumn and winter.

The mucous epithelium of the respiratory tract becomes the entry point for infection. Viruses invade epithelial cells, penetrate the blood through lymphatic flows, and integrate into nerve and skin tissues, provoking the development of a number of pathological processes:

local dilation of small vessels with the formation of red spots on the skin;
formation of serous edema (papules);
peeling of epidermal tissues (vesicles).

The presence of viral agents in the body infant leads to the development of general intoxication, fever and the appearance of other nonspecific manifestations of the disease.

Clinic of disease in infants

The incubation period for chickenpox in newborns lasts from 11 days to 3 weeks. However, in cases where the baby becomes infected transplacentally, the first signs of the disease may appear within 6-7 days.

The first symptoms of chickenpox in one year old child are:

restless behavior, anxiety, moodiness;
lack of appetite;
sleep disturbance;
a sharp increase in temperature;
diarrhea;
vomit;
severe skin itching.

After 2-3 days, small papules appear on the child’s body, head, limbs and face. After 7-8 hours, the granular elements are transformed into rounded vesicles with a diameter of up to 5 mm, filled with transparent exudate. After another 2 days, the blisters fall off, dry out and turn into a brown crust on the surface of the skin. Subsequently, the crusts separate, leaving gradually discolored pigment spots on the newborn’s skin.

Very often, chickenpox in infants manifests itself as a rash on the epithelium of the oral cavity, larynx and genitals. The loose elements open up and transform into superficial ulcers. After 3-5 days, erosions on the mucous membrane heal without leaving a mark.

Dr. Komarovsky draws the attention of parents to the fact that with chickenpox, rash elements do not appear simultaneously, but with pauses of 20-30 hours. Because of this, a polymorphic rash consisting of papules, vesicles and crusts is found on the baby’s skin. The appearance of new rashes is accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature.

Children who suffer from chickenpox acquire stable, lifelong immunity to this disease. Antibodies reliably protect the body from reinfection. However, Dr. Komarovsky and many other pediatricians believe that with a sharp weakening of immune forces, people who have previously had chickenpox may become infected a second time.

Treatment of chickenpox in children

Chickenpox in children under one year of age can be successfully treated on an outpatient basis. Dr. Komarovsky and his colleagues insist on hospitalization only in those clinical cases when the disease occurs in atypical form with pronounced manifestations of general intoxication of the body.

Unfortunately, a system for etiotropic treatment of chickenpox in children under one year of age has not yet been developed. All measures taken by doctors are purely symptomatic.. Most often, the therapy program includes:

Examination of a small patient, drawing up a map of symptoms and treatment programs for the disease.
Bed rest for a week.
Drink plenty of fluids.
Reduce fever using Ibuprofen or Paracetamol if indicated. You can treat your baby with medications only after agreeing on the dosage with your pediatrician.
Treatment of rashes on the skin with antiseptic preparations (diamond green, sodium permanganate solution).
Irrigation of erosions on the mucous membranes with chamomile infusion, Furacilin solution, sea buckthorn oil, hydrogen peroxide.
Using protective gloves to prevent the baby from scratching the rash.
Daily change, washing and ironing of clothes and bed linen child.
Regular cleaning and ventilation of the patient’s room.

Dr. Komarovsky prohibits the use of Aspirin as an antipyretic for chickenpox in children under 1 year of age. According to pediatricians, the use of this drug can provoke the development serious illnesses liver. In cases where chickenpox occurs in a complicated form, children may be prescribed antiviral drugs (for example, Acyclovir).

Prevention and prognosis for chickenpox

A set of measures aimed at preventing chickenpox in newborns includes:

timely vaccination of the mother (during pregnancy planning) and baby;
limiting contact between the child and sick people;
strict adherence to hygiene requirements.

Is chickenpox dangerous in young children? According to doctors, to the development of complications or fatal outcome can only result from an advanced disease that occurs in a severe form. In other cases, the disease ends with the baby’s complete recovery.