Chicken Pox (a common childhood disease caused by the varicella zoster virus)
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Emergent Care - Have you identified one or more of the following symptoms?
- Child acts drowsy, will not rouse, irritable and/or confused
- Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing
- Newborn and mother develops chicken pox within 5 days of delivery
- Pink eye plus eye pain, light sensitivity, and/or tearing
- Generalized, speckled, red rash
- Bruising and /or bleeding into the pox lesions
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Seek Immediate Medical Attention!
These symptoms can be life-threatening. |
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| The incubation period of chicken pox is 14-21 days
The rash usually begins on the trunk and abdomen and spreads to the face and scalp
The contagious period lasts from 1-3 days before leisons erupt and until all pox are scabbed (6-8 days)
Chicken pox is easily transmitted - even by being in the same room together
Most people only contract chicken pox once, but in rare instances life long immunity does not develop
Children who have chicken pox cannot cause shingles in adults who have already had chicken pox
Someone with shingles can give chicken pox to a child who has not had chicken pox
The chicken pox vaccine is available to well children 12 months -12 years in one dose, 12-18 years in two doses, the vaccine may not prevent a child from contracting chicken pox if there has already been previous exposure |
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Urgent Care - Have you identified one or more of the following symptoms?
- Fever 100.4 F or greater and any pox surrounded by a large area of redness
- Congested cough and fever 101 F or greater for over 48 hours
- Vomiting or signs of dehydration (no saliva, little or no urine output, little or no fluid intake)
- Child acting very sick or child with fever for more than 3-4 days
- Pox appear infected (redness, swelling, pain, oozing)
- Child on oral cortico steroids (prednisone etc.)
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Contact Your Health Care Provider. |
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Self-Management - You can help in the following ways:
- May use an oral antihistamine for itching (Benadryl) or call Health Care Provider for "anti itching" medication
- Give acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil), as needed for fever, if no reasons to the contrary (NO ASPIRIN)
- Clip child's fingernails, use white, cotton socks over the hands at night
- Wash child's hands frequently with antibacterial soap
- For sores in the mouth-soft diet, cold fluids, avoid salty foods and citrus fruits
- Watch for signs of secondary infection (fever, pain, redness, swelling or oozing)
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