What are the symptoms and treatments for chickenpox in children?
Symptoms of chickenpox in children vary with age. Infants often show no symptoms or only mild symptoms, which can include mild fever, irritability, and refusal of breast milk, accompanied by a rash. Older children may experience mild fever, headache, fatigue, sore throat, coughing, and decreased appetite. These symptoms persist for one to two days before a rash appears. The rash initially appears on the trunk and then spreads to the face and limbs. Chickenpox rashes often emerge in batches, so the same area may show maculopapular lesions, vesicles, and crusts at the same time. The crusts typically fall off about a week later, usually leaving no scars. Secondary bacterial skin infection, pneumonia, encephalitis, and hepatitis are possible complications. In terms of treatment, infected children should be isolated until all the vesicles have crusted over. During the fever, they should rest in bed, consume an easily digestible diet, stay hydrated, and practice enhanced skincare to prevent infection of the vesicles. Antiviral treatment within 24 hours of rash onset can control the progression of the rash and speed up recovery. If a secondary bacterial infection develops, antibiotics should be used. In cases where encephalitis causes cerebral edema, dehydration treatments should be administered. The use of corticosteroids is not advisable for treating chickenpox.