Chicken Pox Cause, Chicken Pox Symptoms and Chicken Pox Treatment

Chicken pox is so common that 95% of adults have had it already! It's caused by a virus that's spread from person to person in droplets. Infection starts with a fever and about 2 days later the rash begins, usually on your back, first as red flat areas which eventually form clear fluid filled blisters with red margins around them. These eventually burst leaving small ulcers which scab and eventually heal over. These fine bumps etc come in 2 to 4 waves ie collections of bumps springing up around the same time. Chiken pox is quite an itchy affliction but scratching puts you at risk of forming scars. In the next section we'll look at the best ways to treat chicken pox.

Chicken Pox Picture:

Chickenpox Treatment

Chicken pox treatment can be started before you ever get it. If you've never had chicken pox before but work somewhere where it's likely that you'll get it - eg in a hospital - a chicken pox vaccine treatment is available that will give you immunity to catching chicken pox. Of course this means a small injection. Most kids today are immunized for this as part of their school entry.

If caught early, chicken pox can be treated with Acyclovir, a drug which frustrates the life cycle of the virus that causes chicken pox. It is a seven day course like an antibiotic but to make a difference, you must see your doctor as soon as you think you might have chicken pox so you can get started before the blisters get busy.

Sometimes during the course of chicken pox the burst blisters get infected with bacteria. Treatment is with either tablet form antibiotics or creams, but minus bacterial infection there is no use in taking an antibiotic as antibiotics cannot kill the virus which causes chicken pox.

During your chicken pox infection you should cut your nails short to prevent yourself from scratching the blisters and scabs hard enough that they get infected or scar. Using calomine soothing lotions and antihistamine syrups also help by holding down the itchiness so you don't need to scratch so much.

Do not use over the counter steroid creams for the itch as it will make it worse. Do not use aspirin in kids as it risks Reye's syndrome.

If you're worried about scars see a dermatologist - a specialist in skin disorders - as soon as possible so they can advise you early before permanent changes occur.

Chicken Pox Merck

 

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