home Diseases Severe complications can occur in severely weakened, malnourished children, as well as in children with immunodeficiency. Can chickenpox appear in an infant: Komarovsky about newborn infants with chickenpox Chickenpox in infants symptoms

Severe complications can occur in severely weakened, malnourished children, as well as in children with immunodeficiency. Can chickenpox appear in an infant: Komarovsky about newborn infants with chickenpox Chickenpox in infants symptoms

It is believed that children from 2 to 7 years old suffer from chickenpox. At this age, children go to kindergarten or school and begin to come into contact with a large number of people, so there is a high probability of contracting infectious diseases. Many people believe that a newborn and a child under one year old cannot get chickenpox. Is this true, and why is chickenpox dangerous in infants? What to do if your newborn gets sick?

Can a newborn baby get chickenpox?

During the first 6 months, the baby is protected from various diseases by the mother's antibodies, which are passed on to him at birth and through breast milk. If the mother continues to feed the baby without switching to formula, then the beneficial substances of the milk will continue to protect it from the effects of negative factors from the outside. However, even those children who are breastfed can catch chickenpox. Why might this happen?

Most people become acquainted with chickenpox in childhood, but there are those who do not get it at all or become infected at an older age. The peculiarity of this disease is that a person who has suffered from the virus develops lifelong immunity to it. Mother's antibodies are able to provide protection to the child only for the first few months of life.

If the mother is not immune to chickenpox, then her milk cannot protect the newborn from the disease. In some cases, a woman in labor becomes infected immediately before birth. The body does not have time to produce protective cells, and the infection is transmitted to the newborn. The disease takes on a congenital nature.

Children who are 1 month old or 7-12 months old can become infected with the virus, despite the fact that their parents are immune to the infection. This can happen if the baby is bottle-fed or the mother stops breastfeeding after six months. There is a high probability of infection of infants if their body is weakened as a result of previous diseases.

How long is the incubation period and how does the child tolerate the disease?

Infection with chickenpox is possible through contact of an infant with a sick person. The disease is quickly transmitted by airborne droplets. The disease is caused by herpes virus type 3, so people who have shingles (it is caused by the same type of virus) also pose a danger to others. In the body, the infection spreads quickly, affecting the skin and mucous membranes.

The incubation period of the disease averages 7-21 days, but in infants under 1 year of age it is reduced to a week. Depending on the severity of the disease, patients tolerate it differently. Sometimes the disease is expressed by the appearance of several pimples and a slight increase in body temperature in the child.

However, in most cases, infants have a hard time with chickenpox. Babies become capricious, refuse to eat, sleep poorly, and cry constantly. The kids try to tear off the crusts that have formed. Nursing mothers can calm the sick person a little by offering him the breast. In this regard, if possible, it is necessary to transfer the baby to natural feeding until the condition improves.

What does a chickenpox rash look like in infants?

A rash on the body in children appears at the third stage of the disease. The first symptoms appear after the incubation period and resemble a cold. A day later, the first pimples appear (we recommend reading:). Sometimes in infants, chickenpox can be suspected only when blisters appear, since the baby does not have other symptoms before they appear.

At first, the rash resembles small red spots with dots inside. They spread very quickly throughout the body, and after a few hours a bubble with transparent contents appears in the center of the spots. After the blisters appear, babies begin to suffer from unpleasant itching in the areas of the rash. After a day, the pimple opens and a crust forms in its place.

The rashes are wavy in nature. A new rash appears in the patient after 1-2 days. When this happens, the baby’s body temperature rises and other symptoms worsen. During the period of the disease, 4-5 exacerbations are possible, so you can see both new and already dried pimples on the baby’s body. The photo shows what the rash looks like in infants.

Bubbles can cover the entire body and mucous membranes of a person. The duration of the rash is from 6 to 8 days. The peculiarity of chickenpox is that the increase in the child’s body temperature is directly proportional to the number of red dots: the more rash, the higher it is.

Symptoms of the disease in newborns

Chickenpox in children under one year of age can be mild or severe. Infants who have strong immunity and have received a certain amount of antibodies to chickenpox from their mother easily tolerate the disease. If the child’s body is severely weakened or he was infected with chickenpox in utero and has a congenital type of the disease, the baby suffers from a severe form of the disease.

Light form

In mild forms of the disease, the rash on the child’s body is single or mild. The body temperature does not reach 38 degrees or does not rise at all, and other symptoms (headache, runny nose) do not appear.

However, even with mild chickenpox, infants may be fussy, refuse to eat, and have trouble sleeping. This is caused by the fact that itchy pimples cause great discomfort to the baby.

Severe form

A severe form of the disease in a newborn and one-year-old child is manifested by a sharp increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees. The rash spreads very quickly throughout the body and covers the mucous membranes. In some children, the disease is accompanied by vomiting. Due to rashes in the larynx, the child develops a cough. In severe cases, swelling of the larynx and drying out of the sinuses lead to attacks of suffocation.

The rash can affect the baby's internal organs. The child becomes lethargic and refuses to eat. Some relief appears between waves of rashes. With the formation of a new rash, the baby's condition worsens. Severe chickenpox can only be treated in a hospital setting, as it leads to various complications.

In severe cases of the disease, rashes may appear on internal organs in addition to the entire body.

Treatment of chickenpox in an infant

Treatment for chickenpox in children depends on the form in which it occurs. Mild chickenpox does not require medication. The therapy is aimed at improving the general condition of the baby and can be carried out at home. Treatment of chickenpox in newborns includes the following measures:

Complete peace.
Drink plenty of fluids.
Use of antihistamines. It is recommended to treat infants with Fenistil in the form of drops or gel. The gel is applied in a thin layer to the affected areas of the skin. The dosage of drops is calculated depending on the age of the child, and is equal to his whole months of life (3 months - 3 drops, 5 months - 5 drops).
Lowering body temperature with antipyretics. Young children are prescribed Ibuprofen and children's Paracetamol in the form of syrup or rectal suppositories.
Blisters on the body are treated with antiseptics to prevent wound infection and promote rapid healing. Lubricating pimples with brilliant green helps control their number. When the disease subsides, a new rash will not form; accordingly, if “unsmeared” areas do not appear within a few days, then we can say that the disease is receding.
Use of antiviral drugs (for example, Acyclovir).
Rashes on the mucous membranes are treated with Furacilin or herbal infusions.

When treating a child at home, you need to carefully monitor the patient’s hygiene, the cleanliness of the toys and the room in which he is located. The room must be ventilated. The baby's clothes should be spacious. To prevent scratching of wounds, you should put soft mittens on the newborn’s hands and trim his nails in a timely manner.

Possible complications

If signs of chickenpox appear, you should consult a doctor (we recommend reading:). Treatment of the disease should occur under the supervision of a specialist. Failure to follow the pediatrician's recommendations or delay in seeking medical help can lead to complications of chickenpox:

wound infection;
conjunctivitis;
the transition of chickenpox to the form of lichen (we recommend reading:);
the appearance of deep scars at the site of the rash;
meningitis;
impaired visual function when the virus enters the cornea of the eye;
bacterial infections;
dysbacteriosis;
viral pneumonia;
brain damage;
purulent dermatitis;
skin necrosis (sepsis);
myocarditis;
development of various infectious diseases against the background of reduced immunity.

In children under one year of age, chickenpox most often occurs in a severe form, but with proper treatment, complications occur very rarely.

Parents should remain calm and carefully care for the child. After an illness, it is necessary to take measures to strengthen the baby’s immunity. It should be remembered that it is better to get sick in childhood than to become infected with the virus after 18 years of age.

Data Oct 10 ● Comments 0 ● Views

Doctor Maria Nikolaeva

After birth, children receive immune cells from their mother that protect them from viruses. However, it is possible that chickenpox may also develop in an infant. At the same time, the risks of infection of children in the first years of life are minimized. Chickenpox in infants is characterized by rapid development and often leads to many complications. The disease is especially severe in newborns.

During the period of intrauterine development and along with milk, antibodies enter the child’s body, providing protection for the child’s body from the negative influence of the environment. Therefore, in the first few months of life, infants rarely suffer from viral diseases.

But a newborn can become infected with chickenpox. Infection occurs in cases where the number of antibodies that suppress the virus in the child’s body is insufficient or the immune system is not able to cope with the pathogen. Chickenpox appears in an infant for the following reasons:

feeding with artificial formulas;
early cessation of breastfeeding;
the mother had not previously had chickenpox.

The last option is the most dangerous, as it does not exclude the possibility of infection of the fetus. In the case of intrauterine infection, chickenpox in newborns provokes the development of congenital diseases, including those that affect the central nervous system. The risk of such complications directly depends on the stage of pregnancy at which the infection occurred.

The period in the first 12 weeks is considered dangerous, when the child’s main organs and systems are formed. A virus that has infected the fetus in the last month usually does not cause complications in an infant.

Chickenpox in children: symptoms and treatment methods - a special case

In addition to intrauterine infection, infection of children after the sixth month is possible. Transmission of the virus in this case is possible from an older child or adults. During this period, infants gradually move away from breastfeeding, and therefore the number of antibodies to chickenpox in the body decreases.

Symptoms

The first signs of infection with the virus occur during the incubation period of the pathogen, which in infants lasts no more than one week. The intensity in infants directly depends on the state of immunity. Sometimes the disease occurs in a mild form. In this case, the body temperature rises slightly, and the formation of new rashes stops within a few days.

But in most cases, infants do not tolerate infection well. To suppress the activity of the virus in the body in newborns, it is recommended not only to treat chickenpox with medications, but also, if possible, to transfer the child to breastfeeding.

General symptoms

With a mild form of chickenpox in infants, the disease begins with a slight rise in body temperature. In some cases, no other symptoms appear. Within 1-2 days, a single skin rash appears on the body, which quickly disappears without a trace.

Despite the mild course of chickenpox, due to the itching that occurs simultaneously with the appearance of tumors on the body, infants experience discomfort. Because of this, infants refuse to eat, often cry and sleep poorly.

Severe forms of chickenpox provoke more serious changes:

high body temperature rising to 40 degrees;
damage to the skin and mucous membranes by blistering rashes;
bouts of vomiting;
cough caused by damage to the oral mucosa;
attacks of suffocation due to swelling of the larynx and drying out of the nasal mucosa.

During the acute period of chickenpox, the baby becomes lethargic and constantly refuses to eat. The appearance of these symptoms is explained by toxic poisoning of the infant’s body with decay products formed as a result of the multiplication of the virus.

The nature of the rash and other symptoms of chickenpox change in waves. The appearance of new elements causes a deterioration in the general condition of the baby. During the period when the infection activity subsides, the patient begins to eat and becomes more mobile.

Chickenpox is dangerous for infants because it can affect internal organs. In this case, the nature of the general symptoms varies depending on the location of the virus.

What does chickenpox look like in infants?

What chickenpox looks like in an infant is determined by the current stage of development of the disease. In the first 1-2 days after the end of the incubation period, neoplasms appear on the body in the form of red spots. In this case, the rash at this stage forms simultaneously in several areas.

Within a few hours, at the site of the red spots in infants, blisters filled with clear or serous fluid form. This stage is accompanied by intense itching and an increase in other symptoms. On average, per day the blisters open, and open wounds form in the problem area, which over time become covered with a dark crust.

During the acute course of the disease, the intensity of chickenpox symptoms in infants changes in waves. During the period of formation of new elements of the rash, the temperature may rise to 39-40 degrees. Changes in exacerbations and temporary remission of the disease occur up to 4-5 times. Therefore, both new elements of the rash with serous fluid and dried crusts are simultaneously detected on the body of infants.

The appearance of bubbles stops for 6-8 days. An important feature of chickenpox in infants is that the intensity of the manifestation of general symptoms, including a rise in body temperature, is directly proportional to the number of elements of the rash.

How do infants cope with chickenpox?

Chickenpox is poorly tolerated in infants. It is extremely rare that the disease does not cause significant changes in the patient’s condition. This is especially true in cases of congenital chickenpox.

Symptoms and treatments for the disease are determined by the current age of the patient. If intrauterine infection with the virus occurs, the risk of developing complications is very high. Treatment of the disease in such circumstances should be carried out together with drugs that eliminate associated disorders.

In case of infection in children older than 5-6 months, the risk of complications is reduced. During this period, the body gains enough strength to resist the chickenpox virus.

How to treat

The treatment regimen for chickenpox in infants is developed taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient. People try not to use antiviral drugs for this disease due to the possible development of complications. Basically, symptomatic therapy is used for chickenpox.

Due to the fact that the formation of a rash is accompanied by itching, purulent blisters may appear due to the child actively scratching the affected areas. To avoid such complications, it is recommended:

put on gloves for the child;
trim your nails in a timely manner;
Wash your baby’s hands several times throughout the day;
regularly clean toys from dirt;
ventilate the premises every day;
dress the child in loose clothing;
treat the rash with antiseptics.

The choice of antiseptic formulations should be agreed with your doctor. Traditionally, a solution of brilliant green is used to treat rashes. However, Calamine lotion will be more effective in this case. In case of severe itching, treatment of the rash with “Tsindol”, which contains zinc, or with “Fenistil” gel is indicated. These drugs promote rapid healing of the rash.

How to treat chickenpox in children - Doctor Komarovsky

During the acute period of the disease, it is necessary to provide the baby with complete rest and give him drinks more often. Swimming is not prohibited. Washing patients with chickenpox is not recommended when their body temperature is high. Babies should be bathed in warm (not hot) water. During water procedures, it is forbidden to use a washcloth, and then dry your body with a towel. In both cases, the virus can spread to healthy areas of the body and mucous membranes.

Treatment of mild forms

Treatment of mild forms is carried out according to medical recommendations. With this course of the disease, the rash should be treated with antiseptic compounds and other requirements described earlier should be observed.

If the itching becomes intense, it is possible to use ointments that contain glucocorticosteroids. Preparations of this type are applied exclusively to the rash that appears on the body. Hormonal ointments should not be used for a long time.

How to treat itching in a child with chickenpox - Doctor Komarovsky

Treatment of severe forms

Treatment tactics for severe forms of the disease are selected taking into account the nature of the complications that arise. To eliminate itching, Fenistil is used in the form of drops. The dosage of the drug is calculated based on the current age of the baby.

At high body temperatures, the use of antipyretic drugs is indicated. Infants are prescribed Paracetamol in the form of syrup or rectal suppositories.

If the disease is severe and elements of the rash appear in the oral cavity, antiviral drugs are used. The basis of therapy for this form of chickenpox in infants is Acyclovir or analogues of the drug. The drug acts directly on the virus without affecting healthy tissue. Usually, for chickenpox, treatment of the rash with acyclovir-based ointments is prescribed. But in especially severe cases, antiviral drugs are administered intravenously.

If the mucous membranes are damaged, treatment of problem areas with herbal infusions with antiseptic properties or Furacilin solution is indicated. If bubbles have formed in the mouth, pain-relieving gels are used, which are prescribed during teething.

Possible consequences of the disease for infants

Against the background of chickenpox in infants, open wounds may become infected, which leads to suppuration of the skin with the development of tissue necrosis in the future. Depending on the location of the pathogen inside the body, this disease becomes more complicated:

conjunctivitis and other eye diseases;
dysbacteriosis;
meningitis;
viral pneumonia;
myocarditis.

The active varicella zoster virus suppresses local and general immunity, which increases the risk of developing concomitant diseases. If the wounds become suppurated due to the adhesion of bacteria, deep scars remain on the body of infants.

What complications are chickenpox dangerous for - Dr. Komarovsky

Disease prevention

To prevent infection with chickenpox, contact of infants with possible carriers of the pathogen should be reduced to a minimum. In order to prevent complications both before and after infection, it is recommended to carry out activities aimed at strengthening the immune system.

Before conception, a woman must undergo examinations to determine the presence of antibodies in the body to the varicella zoster virus. If the diagnostic results are negative, you should be vaccinated against this pathogen at least 3 months before pregnancy.

In most children, in the first year of life the disease occurs in a severe form, causing a rise in body temperature and a sharp deterioration in general condition. After infection with chickenpox, multiple rashes form on the skin, causing intense itching. Treatment of the disease in infants is carried out mainly with the help of antiseptic and topical antihistamines.

How does chickenpox manifest in infants?

Of course, the first sign of chickenpox in a child under one year old is skin rash . The disease has a wave-like character - that is, rashes appear in batches, and there may even be relief, followed by a deterioration in the baby’s condition.

With a mild form of chickenpox, the symptoms in children under one year old look like a rash that alternately intensifies and subsides. The rash is accompanied slight fever which increases as the rash spreads. However, the temperature may not rise if the rash is local.

The rash begins as small red spots, which transform as the disease progresses into clear, fluid-filled blisters with a red halo around it. When the blisters burst and dry out, crusts called scabs form on the surface of the skin. The child's behavior during this period is characterized as capricious, restless, and irritable.

There are certain nuances of infection and the course of the disease in infants.

Not surprising, because even a mild form of chickenpox in children under one year of age provokes severe itching , which interferes with normal sleep and reduces appetite. It is easiest for babies who are breastfed at this time to suffer from the disease.

Babies receiving complementary feeding may refuse fruit puree or juice. There is no need to insist. It's better to just breastfeed your baby whenever he wants.

And don't forget to drink. It is much more difficult for artificially fed children, as sometimes they cannot eat at all. Mom needs to know that if you have chickenpox, you can’t force-feed your baby. It is better to give him water, unsweetened compote or very weak tea.

Unfortunately, a severe form of chickenpox also occurs in children under one year of age. It is usually very difficult to alleviate this condition on your own. The first symptoms of this form are temperature about 40 o and power failure .

Many mothers do not understand what is happening to the child and are very worried. Only the next day, when a profuse rash appears, does the picture become clearer. This form also flows in waves. With severe chickenpox, the child's larynx and sinuses may become dry, which sometimes leads to choking and false croup .

Of course, only a specialist can identify chickenpox in a child aged 1 year and determine the form of the disease. Therefore, at the first signs, it is necessary to call an ambulance and not resist hospitalization if the doctor insists on it.

Diagnosis is half the treatment

Parents usually suspect chickenpox if a rash is present, but doctors need a more complete picture. Therefore, the doctor will ask the mother in detail how the child behaved in the last couple of weeks, whether there were any contacts with those infected with the chickenpox virus.

Perhaps you and your baby were in the epicenter of the epidemic - a hospital, kindergarten, sanatorium, among other children or adults suffering from chickenpox. In most cases, examining the skin and interviewing the mother is sufficient to make a diagnosis.

In controversial cases, the doctor may prescribe a serological blood test or electron microscopy of the virus taken from the patient’s tissues. But, more often than not, everything ends with a visual inspection.

Features of treating children

For chickenpox in children under one year of age, no special treatment is required. The pediatrician prescribes complete rest, plenty of fluids and antipyretic medications. For itching relief For children from one month old, Fenistil drops can be used. The dosage usually coincides with the number of months the baby has lived - at 3 months - 3 drops, at 6 months - 6 drops, etc.

To dry the blisters, you can use brilliant green in the old fashioned way or smear the rash with Fenistil gel. The gel is applied locally; it is advisable not to cover healthy skin with it and use only a clean finger and not a cotton swab for application. The fibers of a tampon can easily spread infection throughout the epidermis.

Parents can also use the antiseptic Calamine Lotion, which is widely used in the West. The lotion not only reduces itching and cools the skin, but also reduces the risk of scarring.

For temperature reduction Paracetamol is usually prescribed, which can be used either as tablets or as rectal suppositories. The second form has great advantages, since it is very difficult for small children to give medications orally, and suppositories can be administered even during sleep.

Please note that it is advisable not to use these drugs at temperatures below 38-38.5 o C. Ibuprofen should not be taken for chickenpox. The medicine can cause serious complications.

It is very important to ensure that the little one does not scratch himself, tearing the blisters and contributing to the spread of the rash over healthy skin. To do this, you need to put a vest and scratches on the baby. It is unlikely that a child suffering from itching will like this.

But you need to take care of your recovery first. So parents need to be patient and not get irritated by the whims of the baby, who is already having a hard time. Try with all your might to calm and support the baby, as a peaceful state contributes to a speedy recovery.

In addition to this, it is necessary carefully observe personal hygiene measures – change diapers, rompers and undershirts often, after ironing them with a hot iron.

Children who are already eating lure , you need to consume more fermented milk products, fresh pureed vegetables and fruit and berry juices.

What not to do during treatment

Of course, every mother wants to alleviate the condition of her child as quickly as possible. But recovery will not come sooner than it should if you abuse ointments and medications.

Do not think that the more often you treat the wounds with brilliant green, the faster the rash will disappear. The brilliant green solution does not kill the chickenpox virus, but only dries out inflammation and disinfects.

Abuse of brilliant green can lead to an imbalance of beneficial and harmful microorganisms on the surface of the epidermis and, as a result, scars will appear.

In addition, if you use a cotton swab or pad, you risk spreading the infection and worsening the rash. But you can’t not treat the skin at all. Try to limit yourself to two procedures per day.

Soviet and many modern doctors insist that chickenpox in a child under one year of age is a serious reason don't wash or go for walks . It is known that the chickenpox virus does not survive in the external environment, so the infected baby no longer cares.

A complete refusal of hygiene procedures will also not bring anything good. Try to at least wipe the child’s folds with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or quickly wash him in the shower, and don’t be afraid to use talc.

What absolutely should not be done when treating chickenpox in children under one year of age is abuse antipyretic drugs . The doctor must prescribe a daily dose of the medication, exceeding which is strongly recommended.

Also, you should not give your child pills more often than indicated in the prescription. Understand that temperature is a sign that the body is fighting, killing the virus. An overdose of paracetamol is much worse than a temperature of 37.7 o C.

Vaccinations to prevent chickenpox

The best treatment is prevention, any doctor will tell you that. Chickenpox is prevented by vaccination, which is usually not given until the child is a year old. How, then, to protect an infant? Vaccinate your mother and all household members, especially if they often go to places where they can become infected.

Children are vaccinated according to schedule, but what about adults? If you have been in contact with an infected person and know about it, you must get vaccinated within three days from the date of contact. This will help reduce the likelihood of illness or at least transfer the disease to a milder form.

Contraindications to chickenpox vaccinations include pregnancy, but not lactation, as well as an allergy to gelatin or neomycin. At the same time, many chickenpox vaccines, such as Okavax or Varivax, can be administered to adults suffering from chronic severe illness and even AIDS.

Other methods of prevention

Since it is almost impossible to vaccinate a child under one year of age against chickenpox, it is worth protecting him from possible infection.

To do this, it is necessary to limit contact with sick children or adults, especially if the baby’s mother did not have chickenpox. If someone in your family has become infected, offer them inpatient treatment. It is also worth disinfecting the premises if there is a sick person in the house.

Feel free to tell friends and family that you will stop visiting your home until your child is a little older. The health of your baby, while still quite fragile, should become a priority in your life.

Doctor Komarovsky about chickenpox in children

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Good afternoon, dear blog readers! My cousin’s eldest son brought chickenpox from kindergarten, and the youngest son just turned 3 weeks old. She was very scared because she had never encountered this disease in infants before. Can a newborn become infected with chickenpox, and how will the disease progress?

is an infectious disease caused by one of the types of herpes. Its virus is airborne, like measles and rubella. In adults, it causes herpes zoster (shingles), and herpetic rashes appear on the waist and in its area. This contagious disease causes chickenpox in children who come into contact with it.

This disease is easily transmitted from a patient to a healthy body, i.e. is highly contagious. An infected person is contagious to others even before the first rash appears (10 days). And it continues until all the crusts fall off. The incubation period is 11-21 days.

A baby can catch this disease if:

he is less than three months old, and his mother has not had this disease before;
he is bottle-fed. Only breast milk contains important antibodies that protect the baby’s immunity from herpes infection.
the child is more than 6 months old - at this point the mother’s protective cells almost disappear, and their own immunity has not yet developed. The disease at this age is more severe than in a child who is 1 or 2 years old.

Risks for expectant mothers

Is chickenpox dangerous for pregnant women? As Dr. Komarovsky says, there are 3 options:

The woman first became ill with this disease when she was 6 months pregnant. It poses the greatest danger to the fetus and is called congenital chickenpox.
After 6 months, a woman transmits not only viruses, but also protective immunoglobulins through the placenta.
If a mother becomes infected 5 days before giving birth and 2 days after giving birth, then the virus passes to the baby, but there are no antibodies. And then doctors call it chickenpox in newborns. This case is successfully treated with the introduction of immunoglobulin and medications. If this is not done, according to statistics, every third child dies.

How does chickenpox occur?

At first, the mother notices that the baby has become capricious and his appetite has deteriorated. Two days later his temperature rises. As a rule, it stays at 38 degrees, but can reach 40.

What does chickenpox look like in newborns? A rash appears on the arms, head, torso, and legs in appearance, resembling mosquito bites in appearance. The next day, these spots become bubbles filled with liquid. Then they burst and, drying out, become crusts that fall off.

During pregnancy, spots, blisters, and crusts are constantly present on the newborn’s body. This phenomenon is called “false polymorphism.”

Due to the fact that the rash also covers the mucous membrane of the mouth, the child cannot not only eat, but also drink, which significantly slows down the healing process.

How do newborns suffer from chickenpox? The child is in great pain, the rash is accompanied by excruciating itching. The disease can occur in different forms: mild, severe and asymptomatic. There are even cases of this disease without a rash.

Treatment of chickenpox

What complications can there be with chickenpox?

The consequences of the disease are quite serious:

Attachment of purulent infection, sometimes leading to sepsis.
Residual scars.
Meningoencephalitis.
Pneumonia.
Blindness due to corneal opacity.
Decreased immunity.

The disease virus can remain in the body for decades and then cause “shingles” in an adult. But most often people get sick once in their life.

How to protect?

In our country, two vaccinations against chickenpox are allowed:

French Okavax;
Belgian Varilrix.

Does my child need to be vaccinated against this disease? This question began to worry parents recently. Many consider it a harmless and mild disease, but in unvaccinated children in 10% of cases it causes complications. It is especially important for women planning pregnancy to get vaccinated.

That's all. If the article was useful to you, subscribe to blog updates and share it on social networks. Goodbye!

Always yours, Anna Tikhomirova

Many people know that it is better to get chickenpox in childhood than as an adult, since the disease is much milder and without complications. For this reason, parents of young children do not worry if their child gets sick. However, this does not apply to infants, for whose health chickenpox poses a serious threat, having its own characteristics of the course.

Can a baby become infected and get chickenpox?

Young children are vulnerable to any pathogens due to their incompletely developed immunity. Despite the fact that chickenpox is rare in children under one year of age, infection of an infant is quite possible. This can happen through direct contact with a sick person. The problem is especially acute in large families. However, there is a risk of becoming infected without contact with a sick person, because the virus spreads through the air.

Sometimes chickenpox is diagnosed in newborns in the first months of life. This is possible when the mother did not have chickenpox or became infected in the last stages of pregnancy.

In cases where a woman was ill before she became pregnant, the baby receives special antibodies along with breast milk, and for 3-4 months he is not afraid of chickenpox.

There are known cases of congenital chickenpox, which is dangerous and leads to the development of complications. Children who are bottle-fed suffer from the disease much more severely than natural-fed babies. The first symptoms of a congenital disease, characteristic of the standard type of pathology, appear approximately on the 11th day of life. The situation is aggravated by the gag reflex and convulsions. The central nervous system and internal organs are susceptible to infection, which can be fatal.

Is chicken pox dangerous for a child under one year old, when is it better for her to get over it?

Chickenpox in infants is a rare occurrence. If the mother is breastfeeding, then the chances of infection are minimal, and even if infected, the disease passes without complications.

To avoid unpleasant consequences, you should not self-medicate. The diagnosis of the disease and the prescription of appropriate therapy should be carried out by a doctor, because only a specialist can assess the baby’s condition. With timely and competent treatment, the prognosis is always favorable.

The most dangerous time for an infant under one year of age, when the risk of contracting chickenpox increases, is from 5-6 months of life (we recommend reading:). By this time, the immunity acquired through mother's milk practically disappears. A child can scratch the rash that accompanies chickenpox and introduce infection into the wounds - this is the most common and serious complication.

Symptoms of chickenpox in newborns and infants:

weakness;
constant crying;
itching all over the body;
increase in body temperature.

Infancy is not the best time to get this disease. The safest age categories are preschoolers and children of primary school age. In them, unlike adults, the disease in most cases proceeds quickly and easily, and sometimes almost unnoticeably, without causing complications.

Causes and routes of infection of chickenpox in infants

The causative agent of chickenpox is the herpes virus. The source of infection is sick people, as well as those who have herpes on the lips or shingles. The main route of spread and transmission of the pathogen is airborne. Infection occurs through direct contact with the carrier, but this is not a prerequisite - the virus can be transmitted over long distances.

The activity of pathogens, when they pose a danger to the child, is only 10 minutes. In the fresh air under the influence of heat, after this time the virus dies.

For this reason, cases of infection through contact and household contact have not been recorded, i.e. The disease cannot be brought on hands, clothes or toys from kindergarten.

However, in enclosed spaces with large concentrations of children, the spread occurs instantly. This applies to kindergartens and schools. The virus can penetrate even through tightly closed doors.

Newborns can get chickenpox when an older brother or sister brings the infection from school or kindergarten. A congenital form of the disease is also possible. Its cause is the mother's illness in the last months of pregnancy.

Length of incubation period

From the moment the chickenpox pathogen enters the body until the first characteristic signs of the disease appear, it can take from 1 to 3 weeks. Most often, a child or adult becomes ill approximately 21 days after exposure to an infected person. In one-month-old infants, especially newborns, this period proceeds faster, and the first symptoms can be observed as early as the 7th day.

Stages of the disease:

During the incubation period, there are no symptoms or signs of the disease. This is the main difficulty in making a diagnosis and detecting the virus in the body.

Types and symptoms of chickenpox in newborns and infants

Types of chickenpox in newborns and infants up to one year:

Typical. Standard symptoms of chickenpox: a specific rash on the body and itching, a sharp increase in temperature, general weakness, refusal to feed and restless sleep.
Congenital. The infection is transmitted from an infected pregnant woman. Signs appear on the 11th day. Most of the symptoms are similar to ordinary chickenpox, the skin rashes look identical (we recommend reading:). Vomiting and convulsive reflexes may occur as a reaction to high body temperature.
Atypical. A distinctive feature is the nature of the rash. It can be with very small bubbles, or, conversely, the vesicles become large, over 25 mm.

Chickenpox is also classified according to the severity of its manifestations. It can occur in mild, moderate and severe forms. In the first case, there are no sudden changes in temperature, appetite remains normal, and there is no severe itching. The average degree is characterized by standard symptoms, but the temperature increases to 37.8-38.6 degrees. In severe cases, the rash covers the entire body and mucous membranes, the temperature reaches 39-40 degrees, loss of balance and convulsions are observed.

Diagnostic methods

Making an accurate diagnosis is paramount in chickenpox and plays an important role in the effectiveness of future treatment. As a rule, if characteristic skin rashes begin to appear on a child’s body, parents, even those without medical experience, first suspect that they have been infected with chickenpox. However, you can confirm or refute them by visiting a specialist.

The main method of diagnosis is visual examination and history taking. The doctor receives information from the parents about what contacts the child had during the last 2 weeks. He must find out whether the small patient was in the epicenter of the epidemic, for example, a kindergarten or hospital, or whether he had direct contact with an infected person.

Most often, examination of the skin and knowledge of the baby’s contacts is enough to diagnose chickenpox. However, if in doubt, the doctor may seek help from other diagnostic procedures. Auxiliary procedures for diagnosing chickenpox include:

serological blood test;
electron microscopy of virus from affected tissues.

How to treat chickenpox in an infant?

Treatment of chickenpox in children under one year of age is aimed at combating specific symptoms:

Antibiotics are not prescribed for chickenpox. In addition to drug treatment, certain rules must be followed:

drinking plenty of water;
complete peace;
avoiding scratching wounds;
personal hygiene;
temporary refusal to introduce new foods into the baby’s diet.

Possible complications of the disease

With timely diagnosis and proper treatment, chickenpox in infants one year of age and up to one year does not pose a threat to health. A mild form in a child can be completely cured and does not lead to unpleasant consequences. However, in severe cases or in advanced forms, the disease can cause a number of complications.

Due to constant itching and scratching of the vesicles, a secondary infection may occur in the wound. As a result, ordinary chickenpox becomes more severe:

ulcerative;
purulent;
pemphiginous;
hemorrhagic;
gangrenous.

Chickenpox also affects the functioning of internal organs and can lead to the development of:

The disease can cause neurological problems in the baby:

serous meningitis (we recommend reading:);
encephalitis;
polio.

Thus, it is better not to neglect the treatment of chickenpox. When the first signs of the disease appear, you should immediately consult a doctor to make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe medications so as not to cause complications.