I have just spent Christmas with my granddaughter she’s 18 months old who has just come down with chicken pox. What precautions should I take? No symptoms so far.
PMR and chicken pox : I have just spent Christmas... - PMRGCAuk
PMR and chicken pox
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Mimma
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DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer
This was posted a couple of months ago - have a read -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
Thank you so much for your prompt response. I’ll look out for the symptoms
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Did you have chicken pox as a child?
Yes, I believe I did.
That should reduce the risk. However, it will be a good idea to look out for cold-like symptoms in 14 to 21 days which is the incubation period for CP. If they appear then you need to see your GP immediately to get antiviral medication to minimise the symptoms and duration of any attack. Possibly he would give you a prescription in advance - you MUST start taking the antiviral within 24-48 hours of the first symptoms for the best effect and a weekend would get in the way!
You can't catch shingles - but your body meeting the virus again might reactivate the dormant virus from your childhood CP in your body. The antiviral treatment works for shingles too.
Thank you so much - didn’t realise the incubation period was so long. Will be on the alert.
14-16 days is most common but it can be as little as 10 days and as much as 21.
That's why people need to be vaccinated. Chicken pox, among a number of childhood diseases, can be very dangerous to little ones too young to be vaccinated.
Do you know the answer to this question: if you get vaccinated against chicken pox are you then susceptible to getting shingles? It seems to me that the prevalence of shingles has been increasing, perhaps only because we hear about it because of the development of Zostavax and Shinrix, but maybe in reality?
Since the chicken pox vaccine only became available in 1995, it's going to be a while before we know for sure whether it contributes to a propensity for shingles. But we have vaccines for that now, too, and so that's not an excuse not to get vaccinated.
The upswing in shingles is currently being attributed to the Aging of the Boomers, who are living longer, and therefore exhibiting of lots of things that wouldn't be seen in such numbers because in previous generations, a lot of us would already be gone.
Except the Zostavax can lead to shingles developing!
But that's always a risk with live virus vaccines.
There is an alternative...
In theory if you can afford it - but there is little evidence of its long term effects either.
Here in the states, insurance covers most vaccines, or vaccines are available free from the local, state or federal government.
At least for some things, they've come to the conclusion that prevention is cheaper than treatment after onset.
Now if we could just get the "granola groupies" to vaccinate their kids.
I know that - but almost no-one in Europe can get it on their health insurance simply because it isn't yet being supplied to them. In the UK you can have it privately at some private companies at something like £420 per person for the 2 injections. The uptake in the USA has exhausted the supplies the manufacturers have at present.
Apparently the rise in shingles in the older population cannot be attributed to chicken pox vaccination as that vaccine hasn't been around long enough. I wonder if it's more likely an increase in the virulence of the basic virus? There is a significant increase in shingles in younger people too.
I keep meaning to ask my doctor to have me tested for chicken pox immunity. I know we are all told that we must have had chicken pox as children, but I certainly never had anything with symptoms. Also if someone had chicken pox they were kept home, and youngsters like me were protected from exposure as well by being kept out of places where it might be spreading if there was an outbreak. On the other hand two of my children had chicken pox, years apart from each other, the third never had symptoms, although the boys were still young enough to be bathing together, and I never came down with it then.
Must have been a very different life in Canada - we had parties for measles and CP!
Not everyone gets the rash. But get a screening to see if you need to be vaccinated for CP. If you have the antibodies, get the dead virus version of the shingles vaccine.
This I intend to do, it's just that I keep forgetting. When my husband got Shingrix the doctor had also sent him home with a prescription for me to get it (not covered by our healthcare system so it's administered by the pharmacist). I also observed with dismay how horrible he felt after each shot, the first wiped him out for a day, the second for two days. My doctor was really annoyed with me for not getting it, but I explained why, and said she something about having me tested but neither of us have remembered in the year or so since this happened.
As the others have said , look up and look out for the symptoms of chicken pox or shingles.
Take precautions now by improving your nutrition with extra Vitamin C , zinc , and 2 litres of fluids a day . Allow yourself more rest than usual.
Moisturise your skin with a unfragranced medicated cream including zinc and Vitamin E , something like Epaderm is also good. This will just help your skin to heal quicker and not scar if you are unlucky and get an infection .
Thank you so much for your advice- will take some vit C right now.
NONE of that is going to prevent, ameliorate or lessen the effects of chicken pox.
It isn't going to prevent chicken pox , you are right , if an infection has been passed on it is in the system and it all depends on the individual , their current immunity status, and their present and past medical history in relation to this illness as to wether it develops
The reason for doing the above precautions for skin , and in fluids and nutrition , is to help lessen the severity of the effects of an infection on the body as a,whole , and in terms of hydration and moisturising the skin , to prevent the severity of the affects of spots on the tissue and help improve the pace of healing.
One of the dangers of the chicken pox lies in the opportunistic staph or other skin infection. The lesions will itch until they break open and heal well as long as a skin infection doesn't set in.
You might get your doctor to administer a shot of immunoglobulin before you develop any symptoms, which can reduce the severity of the disease. Acyclovir can be administered within 24 hours symptoms developing. You''l take 5 pills a day for 7 days.
Relieving the itch is what prevents the scratching that results in scarring and in spreading bacteria. Wearing soft gloves helps with that. Oral antihistamines are far more effective in controlling irritation. Topical antihistamines ARE NOT TO BE USED. Cool compresses and oatmeal baths can be helpful.
Use Tylenol to minimize fever. Avoid ibuprofen, which can exacerbate skin irritations. (Aspirin should never be used by those under 18 BTW to avoid Reyes Syndrome). Drink plenty of fluids. Keep meals light, nourishing and neutral. Soft natural fabrics for clothing and bedclothes and towels are important, as is keeping everything fresh and clean by changing everything frequently.
And for heaven's sake, stay home until your doctor tells you that you can no longer spread the contagion.
Lots of great tips there , especially remembering not to carry on regardless if you think there's a possibility of having an infection and then possibly spreading it to others. People forget that with many infections it's the Incubation Period that is when you are most contagious ( often that is for a few days before fever or outward signs show up).
The skin moisturizer is only for the skin prior to an infection showing its presence.
As you say after that no topical creams are better except for ones prescribed by a Doctor. I haven't ever used a Antihistamine before specifically to help with an infection like Chicken Pox , but I will remember that and give it a try for as you say we use them to reduce itching with intolerances so it should be helpful at these times as well.
I was under the impression that the contagion from Chicken Pox came from the fluid within the blisters. I have nursed 4 children through it. According to my mother, I only ever had measles.
With my grandson, I gave him soothing oatmeal baths and when dry, dabbed each blister with Camomile lotion. He didn’t itch/scratch at all. I remained immune ( I had an immunity test from the GP at the outset.)
Chicken pox can be caught with contact with blisters or their fluids , but it's not the only or the most common way it's contracted.
The active zoster virus in someone with chicken pox , or shingles , is present for upto 72 hours prior to a first breakout and it is then that the person is most contagious and likely to pass it on to others.
It's passed via any body fluids , so kissing and cuddling , sneezing and coughing and even sweat from the body during play can cause contamination , that's why it doesn't matter if you keep a child off school after the first spot that child will have already contaminated any body whom shared a room or close personal space with them. It's another reason why they will not let you on a plane with a child with it as it can pass through water droplets into the air filtration system of the plane.
Other common misconceptions are that you can't catch it twice . Although rare it is possible , especially for those with Immunity Disorders . Some people genetically have recurring chicken pox at certain periods of Life after one contact with the Live virus.
It doesn't always present as spots on the outer skin either , just like Shingles you can have a strain that only attacks internal skin on the mouth , nose, digestive system and reproductive system.
You can also become a carrier of chicken pox because of this even if you are immune to getting the infection fully yourself.
Pregnant and breast feeding mother's can also pass it on to their babies.
Shingles works in a similar way , and shingles has various varieties so catching one does not necessarily bring immunity to another strain.
The only real way to prevent chicken pox spreading is to keep anybody whom has been in a room with someone with the virus under quarantine at home for a week to prevent the virus that could be in their system passing onto anyone.
If you know a child has chicken pox or you may get it while immuno compromised on steroids or with a Chronic illness that affects immunity you should not have any contact with them.
If you suspect you have been in contact with a chicken pox or shingles virus you need to take standard disease precautions like extra fluids , Vitamin C and Zinc , good nutrition and moisturising skin to reduce the impact of the infection on your body as a whole.
For the week after that contact you can see if you are a carrier or it is likely to progress to a full viral infection by the increase in body temperature.
After spots occur , cold damp compresses or prescribed or approved medicated creams and lotions are the only things you should use . You shouldn't actually bathe as it can cause more damage from the blisters.
The Zoster virus is basically a nasty little devil , and it's a shame that we don't have vaccination available as standard like in Canada.
Well Theo and I were very lucky then. 😊Perhaps love kept it at bay.
And you had had CP as a child probably?
Especially as you can have the virus without spots. All my children got it. My mother would always say that I only ever had measles. I was certainly ill though.
My younger daughter hardly had a space between spots while her sister had just a couple on her back. But both felt pretty unwell.
😘😘😘😍
Many many thanks for all that advice
Are you sure you aren't confusing it with shingles? Unlike CP, patients with shingles don't shed the virus in body fluids (coughs and sneezes spread diseases) so really the only way someone can catch CP from someone with shingles is contact with the fluid in the vesicles - which in shingles is pretty difficult unless it is on the face.
CP, on the other hand, is most infectious in that way in the 24-48 hours BEFORE the first blister appears when it probably looks like a cold developing - by which time the infection risk is already waning and if you have been in contact with it in that period it is already probably too late to take avoiding action.
The WHO says 98% of us who grew up before the vaccine became available were exposed, but not all of us got all the symptoms.
Thank you Good_Grief for your great advice.
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