Shingles in children is not scary?

Do you see your baby has blisters growing in clusters on his body? These can be signs of shingles in children. aFamilyToday Health will teach you how to take care of a child with this disease.

Shingles is a disease caused by the zoster virus. They spread very quickly throughout the body, causing ulcers. This disease is rarely seen in children and teenagers with a healthy immune system. People over 60 years old and children with weak immune systems are often at risk. Although rare, shingles is highly contagious.

How does shingles develop?

Shingles is highly contagious. However, people who have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine can get chickenpox from contact with a shingles patient.

The shingles usually last 2 - 4 weeks, after which they go away. However, it should be noted that this disease only occurs in people who have had chickenpox before.

The cause of shingles

Shingles is caused by the Varicella zoster virus. The virus also causes chickenpox and is related to the herpes virus that causes genital herpes and mouth sores . That is why shingles is also known as herpes zoster.

The virus affects both children and adults, people who have not received the chickenpox vaccine, people who have recently recovered from an illness or have an illness that affects the immune system.

In children who have had chickenpox, the cause of the virus reactivating in the body is unknown. However, this condition rarely occurs in children under 3 years of age.

Symptoms of shingles

Shingles is characterized by clustered blisters on a pink base of the skin and usually occurs only on the side half of the body such as one side of the body, along one side of the torso, very rarely crossing the line between the muscles. can. Children will have a tingling sensation first, then pain. Common symptoms of shingles:

Nerve pain under the skin. Each skin area has a dominant nerve branch. Therefore, the child will have pain depending on the nerve branch damaged.

Fever is accompanied by the appearance of blisters, concentrated in clusters. If the disease progresses to an infectious stage, these blisters will turn into pustular blisters. They will then break open and scab within 7 - 10 days.

In addition, there are some other symptoms such as:

Headache

Fever

Body aches and pains

Tired.

Sometimes your baby has neuralgia, but you don't see the blisters. If you cannot find the cause of your child's pain, take him or her to the hospital to be examined.

When should I take my baby to the doctor?

Shingles is easy to detect. However, you should take your child to hospital immediately if:

Severe blisters appear on the face and eyes

The blisters do not go away after 10-14 days

Pain and itching in blisters

Not sure if these blisters are shingles. It is possible that these blisters are a side effect of a medication the child is taking.

The child has a fever, fatigue and blisters that show signs of infection.

Shingles is not a dangerous disease, but it makes children feel uncomfortable. In addition, this is also a contagious disease. As a result, your child may unknowingly pass the infection on to you, your siblings or other children at school. If you suspect that your child has this disease, it is best to take your child to a doctor for diagnosis and isolate him from other children to avoid spreading the disease.

Diagnosis of shingles

A doctor can identify shingles by looking at the blisters that appear on the child's body. If your child does not have blisters, the doctor will ask if there is any pain in the child's body. Sometimes, a doctor will take some pus or membrane from the blister for an accurate test and diagnosis.

Treatment of shingles for young children

Shingles doesn't have a cure, but there are ways to ease the symptoms. The shingles should go away after it's finished and can last about a month. Therefore, not all children with shingles need treatment. However, during treatment, your doctor may prescribe a number of medications such as:

Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex). These drugs do not remove the virus from the body, they only help reduce the complications caused by the zoster virus.

A number of topical creams, sprays, lotions, or oral medications may also be used by your doctor to relieve nerve pain. Some drugs can be used such as Tylenol , ibuprofen ... However, you should not give your child aspirin because it can lead to Reye's syndrome.

If the pain is severe, morphine , oxycodone or gabapentin will become necessary.

If the red bumps appear in the eye, the doctor will give the child antiviral medication with steroids.

Sometimes, corticosteroids also help reduce skin inflammation, but you should only use this medication under your doctor's prescription. In addition, your doctor may also give your child antihistamines to relieve the itchiness.

Several useful herbs for shingles

Some of the following herbs help children reduce the pain and discomfort caused by shingles:

Oatmeal helps to reduce the spread of blisters and itching. Therefore, let your baby soak in a bath filled with oatmeal.

A mixture of vinegar and water helps to reduce the itching sensation in blister areas.

Calamine lotion also helps in treating blisters.

You can also use aloe vera gel and vitamin E creams to help relieve the itchy sensation. However, before using it, you should still consult your doctor.

Baking soda can also help reduce itching sensations. Mix this powder with water, then apply to the skin, leave for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse.

How to take care of a child with shingles

Children with shingles need careful care to avoid spreading it to others. Here are a few things you should and shouldn't do:

Should do

Use medication as directed by your doctor

Always keep the child's skin dry and clean to avoid spreading it to other parts

Dress your child in comfortable clothes to prevent blisters from appearing more and more and limit their breakage

Apply cold towels, ice packs to relieve pain.

Should not do

Do not let your child go to school or contact anyone directly if the blisters are draining pus

Do not cover the blisters

Do not use creams that contain antibiotics as they slow the healing process

Touch or press the blisters.

Preventing shingles

There is no way to completely prevent shingles, but you can reduce your chances of getting it by taking the following measures:

Make sure your child has had the chickenpox shot. Although shingles can occur multiple times, getting vaccinated can reduce the likelihood of an outbreak.

If a child has a sibling, do not let other children share personal items with a child with shingles.

A weak immune system makes children more susceptible to shingles. Therefore, you should feed your children nutritious foods to enhance their resistance . These foods include oranges, cereals, green vegetables, beans, tomatoes, chicken, milk and eggs. A healthy diet will help boost the immune system and help children fight off illnesses.