In order to understand in time that your child has chickenpox, you need to know how chickenpox begins in children, the first signs of which may be similar to other diseases, or not appear at all for a long time. Despite this, the child will already be in the process of spreading the virus. Today we will consider the first signs of this disease, both general and external. We will show chickenpox at an early stage, and then we will analyze how to identify chickenpox so as not to confuse it with an allergy.

THE CONCEPT OF INCUBATION AND LATENT PERIODS

Before considering the first signs of chickenpox in children and its external symptoms, it is necessary to understand why it may not appear immediately.

The incubation period of chickenpox, that is, the time when the concentration of the type 3 herpes virus that causes this disease, becomes high enough to show visible symptoms of a skin rash, up to three weeks. While the incubation period is going on, the child may feel oppressed, but the first signs of chickenpox in the form of a rash will not appear.

The incubation period of viruses varies from ten days, and the latent period, that is, contagious, begins after five or seven days. Therefore, even when the first symptoms of chickenpox in children have not yet appeared, the child is a carrier of the disease.

FIRST GENERAL SYMPTOMS

The general signs of chickenpox in a child are similar to acute respiratory infections, they can mislead parents who will be sure that this is not related to chickenpox. Let’s look at them in more detail:

body temperature rises;

the child feels a general weakness;

drowsiness and lethargy appear;

children begin to be more capricious;

chills present;

cervical and occipital lymph nodes may increase.

In this case, no one suspects that this is the initial stage of chickenpox and the child can be taken to kindergarten or sent to school. And based on the fact that the Varicella virus zoster , which is the causative agent of chickenpox, is distinguished by a special spreading activity, children quickly and massively begin to become infected.

WHAT THE RASH LOOKS AT THE INITIAL STAGE

After the virus has multiplied and entered the regional lymph nodes, the first signs of chickenpox appear in children with rashes. Let us consider in more detail how chickenpox manifests itself in children and the characteristics of the initial stage of the rashes of this disease:

at the very beginning, just red spots appear on the body;

the first spots are usually localized on the head, face, abdomen;

the rash is quite rare and small in size;

in the future, these spots will turn into papules and multiply.

This is the classic form of chickenpox. There is also a mild form, the first symptoms of which we will consider further. In the photo under No. 1 and 2, you can observe how chickenpox begins to appear at the very beginning, and in the photo under No. 3 and 4, for comparison, the acute stage of the disease is shown.

As mentioned above, there is a mild form of the disease, which does not give pronounced general symptoms. Consider how chickenpox begins with a mild form:

the temperature rarely rises, usually it is not;

slight malaise, almost imperceptible;

rashes are very rare;

When the first general symptoms are detected, it is necessary to examine the child. But in the early days, the rash, as a rule, is not detected. But the next day, after an increase in temperature and catarrhal symptoms, one can find single manifestations of red small spots with a small bubble of a clear liquid in the middle of the formation.

HOW TO IDENTIFY WHICHPOX IS IT

We have already figured out that at the very beginning, chickenpox is often confused with acute respiratory infections or the common cold. But to distinguish it at this stage from colds will not work. An attempt to differentiate the disease is possible only when the first signs of a rash appear. And now it is necessary to recognize chickenpox so as not to confuse it with an allergic reaction.

So, how to recognize chickenpox and distinguish it from an allergy? This is not difficult, because the rashes of chickenpox begin from certain places, namely from the head, then descend to the face, and later move to the stomach and other parts of the body. An allergic reaction, on the contrary, has a clear zone of rashes, without violating its boundaries. In addition, a wind rash appears in portions, gradually falling asleep the whole body in undulating jumps.

We examined how the first general and external signs begin to appear with chickenpox. It is very important to understand that chickenpox is a highly contagious disease, even transmitted through ventilation systems. Therefore, if your children are sick with the Varicella virus zoster , and there is a common ventilation shaft in the house, it is likely that one of the neighboring children will also become infected. Do not forget that you are also at risk, especially if your body does not have antibodies to this virus, in the absence of illness in childhood. Therefore, it is worth considering preventive measures for adults who come into contact with chickenpox.