Chickenpox is a highly infectious disease. Among children who are not immunised against smallpox, the risk of contracting the disease after contact with the virus reaches almost 100%.
Chickenpox - Symptoms and course
The specific infectivity type of smallpox plays a key role in the transmission of the virus. Isolation of the patient at the time of the appearance of the typical skin lesions is practically irrelevant, because such a patient excretes the virus (i.e. is highly infectious for the environment!) already 2-3 days before the first symptoms appear. This results in a very easy and rapid spread of the infection in communities of children such as nurseries, kindergartens, schools or boarding schools. The infectivity of the disease ends with the drying of the last scabs.
When to go to the doctor and cure
Smallpox is a notifiable and registrable infectious disease, so report to your district doctor any infection of your child with smallpox, even if it is a mild infection and can only be treated with home remedies.
To protect immunocompromised children, it is necessary to isolate a child with smallpox for the infectious period described above. If it is your child who is immunocompromised and has come into contact with a smallpox patient - report this to your doctor as soon as possible.
Chickenpox - Treatment
After contact with smallpox, it remains to wait for the disease to develop. The period from contact to the first outbreaks of smallpox lasts on average 13-17 days (maximum 21 days). There is no home treatment. If necessary, a smallpox vaccine or acyclovir preparation can still be administered during the incubation period to prevent full-blown disease.
