Chickenpox is considered to be highly contagious illness that affects many children during their childhoods. Chickenpox is caused by the Varicella zoster virus and it develops generally during late winter or early spring. Thanks to the vaccination that is invented against the Chickenpox and therefore, the disease is now less severe. Unvaccinated children generally develop symptoms about 10-20 days after being exposed to someone with chickenpox. This period is called as incubation period for chickenpox.
Chickenpox is viral disease and it affects almost everyone at sometime in a lifetime. The specialty of this disease is it occurs only once and once it occurs, the body becomes immunized in almost all cases leaving some rarest rare case. The disease is however said to be mild, but is associated with dangerous complications, especially in teenagers and children with reduced immunity. For instance, in children with leukemia or having chemotherapy or steroidal treatment, the risk of getting severe varicella is more.
Ayurveda believes this to be a ‘charma or twak roga’ i.e. a skin disease that occurs generally due to vitiation of any bodily humors namely Vata Dosha, Pitta Dosha and Kapha Dosha. The itching is due to Kapha Dosha and the redness is due to Pitta Dosha. Ayurveda says that it is self-limiting disease and a child is to be kept nourished with several herbs.
The spread of chickenpox is via airborne droplet infections. It is infectious a day or two before its typical symptoms (i.e. skin rashes) occur. Even if they are healed, a child carries infection for some days. This is why, a child can spread disease to others even before the chickenpox is diagnosed and even after the treatment is done and child has overcome the disease.
For signs and symptoms, chickenpox begins with mild fever and typical skin rashes appear after one or two days of fever. The skin rash starts with red spots that become fluid-filled small blisters before bursting or subsiding. Children often feel tired and nervous and leave playing games and their other routine activities. Loss of appetites is common and some of the children may experience headache and sore throat. These are the signs one should not ignore at all especially if the child is not properly vaccinated.
Once the skin rashes are developed, child feels itching all over the body especially at the place where the skin rashes are. Itching becomes more severe in some cases. After couple of days, the blisters show crust formation and then these crust dry and then finally fall off. Many crusts may leave scar marks that take years to go off from the skin.
Chickenpox carries lot many complications with it and one of the commonest is skin blisters. In some cases, these blisters may spread the infection beneath the skin and then can produce something called cellulitis. The disease also carries danger in terms of its complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis. During the chicken pox, the immunity drastically falls down and therefore, even a minor infection takes a huge form and finally gets difficult to treat. Late complications include zoster, which s a painful rash and this can be a complication even after several years of the original infection.
The varicella has no perfect remedy, as it is a viral infection. This is considered to be self-limiting disease and hence, no medicines are required. However, to prevent other infections during the disease as the immunity level falls, antibiotics are preferred by pediatricians. Symptoms treatments include some anti-pyretic drugs. The child’s body is kept hydrated and therefore, continuous supply of water and other electrolytes are given either through mouth or by intravenous injections.
The diet restrictions are generally nil with the exceptions of the food that is heavy to digest. Personal hygiene is extremely important and the bath is taken with herbal soap and no chemical soap. Ayurveda believes that one should bath with the decoction of Neem leaves that can purify the blood and kill any kind of microorganisms from the body.
The best way to get rid of chickenpox is to avoid it occurring and for that, the best method is to get vaccinated. The vaccine is available for chickenpox and is given to a child of certain age in certain dosage.
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