Chickenpox is a highly contagious and common infection in children. In most cases, it is diagnosed in children under the age of 10, but there are also cases of the disease in adolescents and adults.
The most common symptom of such an infectious disease is a blistering rash. In addition, most people with chickenpox have a fever. And since any parent can face chickenpox in their baby, all mothers are interested in information when a fever appears with chickenpox and whether it is necessary to bring down the temperature with such an infection.
How do you get chickenpox
The causative agent of this infection, called the Varicella Zoster virus, is transmitted from sick children to people without immunity by airborne droplets. At the same time, the disease is very contagious and if a person has not been sick before and is not vaccinated against chickenpox, his susceptibility reaches 90-100%, and for infection it is enough to be in the same room with a sick child for 5-10 minutes.
A sick baby becomes contagious on the last day of the incubation period. It also secretes the virus during the entire period of the rash and for another 5 days after the formation of the last vesicles on the skin.
When the temperature rises
A change in body temperature is noticed in a child with chickenpox simultaneously with the appearance of the first rashes on the skin. Such symptoms appear on the first or second day of illness after a short prodromal period, during which children complain of headache, weakness, poor appetite, poor sleep, sore throat.
Many mothers are interested in whether chickenpox can begin with an increase in body temperature. This situation is quite possible in case of a severe course of the disease, when the child's temperature figures rise rapidly, and the rash appears only after a while.
Typically, with the appearance of new bubbles on the body, the temperature rises again. Such a fever is wave-like, so parents should not be alarmed if the temperature rises again during the illness, for example, on the fourth day of the illness, along with the next appearance of "fresh" vesicles on the skin.
Can be with a fever, but without a rash
Rashes and fever are the most common symptoms of chickenpox, and they occur together in most people who get sick.
Moreover, the severity of the rash and the temperature reaction of the body have a certain connection. The more bubbles on the body, the higher the fever.
Only in rare cases, there is no rash with chickenpox, or it is represented by single elements, therefore, the situation with an increase in temperature and the absence of a rash with chickenpox practically does not occur.
What is the temperature with chickenpox
The numbers on the thermometer for chickenpox are affected by the severity of the disease and the state of the child's immunity.
Possible options for fever with chickenpox:
- A slight increase in temperature to 37.5-38 ° C with mild flow. In some children with mild chickenpox, body temperature may remain within normal limits.
- Temperature rise to 38-38.5 ° C with moderate chickenpox.
- Fever with readings of 39-40 ° C in severe infection.
How many days does the temperature last
- If the child has a mild form and the body temperature rises to 37.5 ° C, the duration of such a symptom is usually short. The very next day or from 2-3 days of illness, the indicator on the thermometer becomes normal.
- With moderate chickenpox, the duration of fever in most children is 2 to 4 days. On the 4-5th day of the disease, the body temperature decreases, and new bubbles no longer appear.
- If the disease is severe, and the temperature has risen to alarming numbers, the duration of the fever period can reach 7 days.
Whether to bring down the temperature with chickenpox
The issue of lowering body temperature with medications for chickenpox should be addressed based on the severity of the disease and the patient's age.
If the infection is caught by a child at the age of 2-10 years and its course is mild (the temperature is less than + 38 ° C), no medicine is needed to lower the body temperature. Such a fever is a natural reaction of the child's body to the penetration of the virus and confirms that an active fight against the pathogen is taking place in the baby's body.
Than bring down the heat
For a child with chickenpox, it is best to choose a drug that will help reduce the temperature with a pediatrician. The doctor will take into account the age of the little patient and the presence of other health problems. It is especially important to give the medicine on time in case of the risk of febrile seizures and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Usually, children are prescribed one of these antipyretic drugs:
- Paracetamol. It is considered safer and is prescribed for children over 1 month old. Such a drug does not begin to act immediately (40-60 minutes after administration) and the duration of action of this drug is short (maximum 4 hours).
- Ibuprofen. This remedy has not only antipyretic, but also anti-inflammatory effect. Such a drug works longer than paracetamol (up to 8 hours), but more often causes side effects and is allowed from 3 months of age.
What to do if it doesn't go astray
If you gave your child an antipyretic agent, and the temperature remains high and the general condition of the crumbs is worsened, you need to see a doctor. It is also important to show the child to the pediatrician in time if the temperature with chickenpox lasts a long time, for example, there is still on the 10th day of illness or has risen again after several days of normal values.
You can learn more about chickenpox from the program of Dr. Komarovsky.
