Chickenpox: Symptoms and Treatment | Bupa UK

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  Chickenpox is a common infection caused by the varicella zoster virus. The rash you get with chickenpox has flat or slightly raised red spots, which rapidly progress to fluid-filled blisters. You might also have symptoms, such as a raised temperature (fever), headache, sore throat and loss of appetite.

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  Chickenpox is highly contagious. You’re most infectious one to two days before your rash appears, so you can spread it to other people before you even realise you have it. You remain infectious until all your spots crust over (usually about five days after the rash appears).

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  You’re no longer infectious when all your spots have crusted over. This is usually around five days after the chickenpox rash appears. But, if you’ve had chickenpox, the varicella zoster virus will stay in your body for the rest of your life.

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  You shouldn’t travel by plane until you’re no longer infectious, which is when all your spots have crusted over. This is usually around five days after the chickenpox rash appears. Airlines have a right to refuse you if you’re unwell, as it’s their duty to protect other passengers. This is because you could pass on the infection to other people. So, if you’ve already booked a flight, you may need to delay it for a few days.

  If your spots have crusted over but are still visible, you may need a letter from your doctor to confirm that you’re no longer contagious. Contact the airline you’re travelling with to find out.

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  There is a chickenpox vaccine, but in the UK it’s only recommended for certain people if they’re not immune already. This includes healthcare workers and anyone in regular close contact with someone who has a weakened immune system.

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  Once you’ve had chickenpox, it’s likely you’ll stay immune for life. This means you’re unlikely to catch the infection again and won’t spread it to others. It’s possible to get chickenpox again, usually if your first infection was very mild – but this is very rare.

  Once you’ve recovered from chickenpox, the virus stays hidden in your body. This doesn’t usually cause any symptoms. But at any time later in your life, the virus can be reactivated, causing shingles.

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Chickenpox (for Parents) – Nemours KidsHealth

What Is Chickenpox?

Chickenpox is a viral infection that causes fever and an itchy rash with spots all over the body.

It used to be a common childhood illness in the United States, especially in kids under age 12. It’s much rarer now, thanks to the varicella vaccine.

What Are the Signs & Symptoms of Chickenpox?

Chickenpox often starts without the classic rash, with a fever, headache, sore throat, or stomachache. These symptoms may last for a few days, with the fever in the 101°–102°F (38.3°–38.8°C) range.

The red, itchy skin rash usually starts on the belly or back and face. Then it spreads to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp, mouth, arms, legs, and genitals.

The rash begins as many small red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites. They appear in waves over 2–4 days, then develop into thin-walled blisters filled with fluid. The blister walls break, leaving open sores, which finally crust over to become dry, brown scabs.

All three stages of the chickenpox rash (red bumps, blisters, and scabs) appear on the body at the same time. The rash may spread wider or be more severe in kids who have weak immune systems or skin disorders like eczema.

What Causes Chickenpox?

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). This virus also can cause a painful skin rash called shingles (herpes zoster) later in life. After someone has had chickenpox, the virus stays dormant (resting) in the nervous system for the rest of their life. The virus can reactivate (“wake up”) later as shingles.

Kids who are vaccinated against chickenpox are much less likely to develop shingles when they get older.

Is Chickenpox Contagious?

Chickenpox is very contagious. Most kids with a sibling who’s infected also will get it (if they haven’t already had the infection or the vaccine), showing symptoms about 2 weeks after the first child does.

Someone with chickenpox can spread the virus:

• through droplets in the air by coughing or sneezing
• in their mucus, saliva (spit), or fluid from the blisters

Chickenpox is contagious from about 2 days before the rash starts until all the blisters are crusted over.

Someone with shingles can spread chickenpox (but not shingles) to people who haven’t had chickenpox or the vaccine.

Because chickenpox is so contagious, a child who has it should stay home and rest until the rash is gone and all blisters have dried. This usually takes about 1 week. If you’re unsure about whether your child is ready to return to school, ask your doctor.

What Problems Can Happen?

Some people are more at risk for problems if they’re exposed to chickenpox, including:

• pregnant women
• newborns born to mothers who had chickenpox
• patients with leukemia
• kids receiving medicines that suppress the immune system
• anyone with immune system problems

So doctors might give them a medicine (zoster immune globulin) to make the illness less severe.

How Is Chickenpox Diagnosed?

Doctors usually can diagnose chickenpox by looking at the telltale rash.

Call your doctor if you think your child has chickenpox. The doctor can guide you in watching for problems and recommend medicine to ease itching.

If you take your child to the doctor, let the staff know ahead of time that your child might have chickenpox. It’s important not to expose other kids in the office — for some of them, a chickenpox infection could cause serious problems.

How Is Chickenpox Treated?

A
viruscauses chickenpox, so antibiotics can’t treat it. But doctors will prescribe antibiotics if bacteria infect the sores. This can happen when kids scratch and pick at the blisters.

Doctors also might prescribe an antiviral medicine for people with chickenpox who are at risk for problems. This depends on the:

• person’s age and health
• extent of the infection
• timing of the treatment

Your doctor can tell you if the medicine is right for your child.

Can Chickenpox Be Prevented?

Yes. Most people who get the chickenpox vaccine will not get chickenpox. And if they do get chickenpox, their symptoms will be much milder. 

Doctors recommend that kids get the chickenpox vaccine as:

1. a first shot when they’re 12–15 months old
2. a booster shot when they’re 4–6 years old

People 6 years of age and older who have never had chickenpox and aren’t vaccinated can and should get two doses of the vaccine.

Kids who have had chickenpox do not need the vaccine — they usually have lifelong protection against the illness.

How Can I Help My Child Feel Better?

To help relieve the itchiness and discomfort of chickenpox:

• Use cool wet compresses or give baths in lukewarm water every 3–4 hours for the first few days. Oatmeal bath products, available at supermarkets and drugstores, can help to relieve itching. (Baths do not spread the rash.)
• Pat (don’t rub) the body dry.
• Put calamine lotion on itchy areas (but don’t use it on the face, especially near the eyes).
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist about pain-relieving creams to apply to sores in the genital area.
• Ask the doctor about using over-the-counter medicine to take by mouth for itching.

To prevent scratching:

• Put mittens or gloves on your child’s hands to avoid scratching during sleep. 
• Trim fingernails and keep them clean.

If your child has blisters in the mouth:

• Give cold, soft, bland foods because chickenpox in the mouth can make it hard to drink or eat. Avoid anything acidic or salty, like orange juice or pretzels.
• Give your child acetaminophen to help relieve pain.

Never give aspirin to kids with chickenpox. It can lead to a serious illness called Reye syndrome.

When Should I Call the Doctor?

Most chickenpox infections don’t need special medical treatment. But sometimes, problems can happen.

Call the doctor if your child:

• has a fever that lasts for more than 4 days
• has a severe cough or trouble breathing
• has an area of rash that leaks pus (thick, yellowish fluid) or becomes red, warm, swollen, or sore
• has a severe headache
• is very drowsy or has trouble waking up
• has trouble looking at bright lights
• has trouble walking
• seems confused
• is vomiting
• seems very ill
• has a stiff neck

photos and videos, the best methods of treatment for children and adults

Contents

• Does the throat hurt with chickenpox?
• Treatment of a sore throat
• Medicines for children
• Contraindications for a sore throat

Damage to the superficial layers of the skin is far from the only sign of chicken pox. Together with them, the mucous membranes of the oral and nasal cavities are necessarily damaged, and in some cases, the conjunctiva (mucosa) of the eyes.

In case of a particularly severe process in the area of ​​the nasopharynx and oropharynx, the term “chickenpox in the throat” is appropriate. And when treating it, it is necessary to take into account a number of nuances that parents or persons caring for an adult patient should know about.

Does the throat hurt with chickenpox?

Considering that the area of ​​the throat includes the area of ​​the soft palate, palatine arches, tonsils and the root of the tongue, we can answer: yes, the throat hurts with chickenpox.

When you have chickenpox, your throat often hurts

What is chickenpox

The main symptom of chicken pox is damage to the superficial structures of the skin with the formation of a rash from them – exanthema.

The rash is polymorphic. The term means the simultaneous presence on the skin of rash structures that are at different stages of development: from the spot stage through the bubble-vesicle phase to the final evolutionary stage of crust-scab formation.

Such a “diversity” of the picture is explained by the different periods of occurrence of the elements of the rash – their “age”.

But the introduction of the chickenpox virus occurs not only in the skin, but also in the surface layers of the mucous membranes, including the throat.

Causes of sore throat

With chickenpox, the evolution of a rash (enanthema) on the mucous membranes of the oral cavity goes through the same stages as on the skin: from a raised papule above the surface to the formation of a vesicle – an inflammatory cone with a bubble head on top.

The opening of the vesicle occurs either independently or as a result of damage by the patient himself – the process of developing a rash on the mucous membrane is accompanied by itching no less severe than itching of the skin. As a result of the autopsy, a more or less deep erosion or sore remains at the site of the vesicle.

Both itching at the vesicle stage and soreness in the area of ​​erosions in chickenpox, when localized in the throat, cause pain in this area.

Erosions and sores appear in the throat, which hurt

How long does the throat hurt?

Sore throat with chickenpox can be either local (in the elements of a rash) or widespread throughout the area.

If the period of development of a separate element of the enanthema is from 1 to 2 days, then the general febrile phase of the disease (with the phenomenon of “sleeping”) is from 2-5 to 8-10 days.

In an uncomplicated form of the disease, the duration of pain in the throat depends on several factors:

• on the depth and vastness of the mucosal damage;
• on the intensity of metabolic processes in tissues, which determine the speed of recovery and healing of the mucosa.

The pre-varicella condition is of great importance. More destructive processes than in a healthy patient are caused by:

• chronic (inflammatory, endocrine or systemic) diseases;
• mental or neurological pathology;
• chronic stress or depression of the psyche during critical periods of life.

The duration of pain depends on the severity of the course of the disease

Due to the decrease in the level of immunity and the intensity of metabolic processes in patients of these categories, the period of pain is prolonged and the recovery time of the oral cavity covers is slowed down.

A severe (highly virulent) form of the disease or a mixed infection (attachment of pathogens of a microbial nature to the chickenpox virus) complicated by the development of suppurative processes in the throat (pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis, lymphadenitis) also leads to a lengthening of the pain phase.

Treatment of a sore throat

Therapy includes both general measures and the use of local methods of treatment.

The treatment of a sore throat involves a whole range of procedures

General strategy

In uncomplicated chickenpox, its manifestations in the mouth heal quite well.

But when the process in the throat acquires the features of a sore throat or catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, the therapy is carried out in accordance with the principles of treating the corresponding conditions – means:

• antibacterial;
• anti-inflammatory;
• antihistamines;
• decongestants;
• stabilizing the state of the internal environment of the body and increasing its protective capabilities.

In order to treat especially stubborn and deep erosions and ulcers, to prevent secondary microbial or fungal infections, local cauterizing antiseptic agents of the Castellani liquid category, diluted to the recommended concentration of solutions of alcohol, vinegar and similar disinfectants, can be used.

The use of brilliant green, methylene blue, iodine tincture for the treatment of the oral cavity is also possible, but not welcomed because of the possibility of burning the mucous membrane during the repeated procedure.

Rinsings

In order to disinfect the oral cavity (irrigate already existing mucosal defects and prevent aggression from the own microbial flora living in the mouth), the widespread use of various rinses is justified.

Both official (pharmaceutical preparation) and self-prepared solutions are used.

The first category includes solutions:

• Furacilin;
• Rivanola;
• Miramistin;
• Chlorhexidine and similar products.

Furacilin solution – a popular rinse

Of the self-prepared rinses used, the easiest to prepare are solutions of potassium permanganate (“potassium permanganate”), soda (2%), a weak solution of sea or table salt with a drop of iodine tincture, or a combination of the last three funds (use carefully after consulting a doctor).

The use of calendula tincture for rinsing gives both an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect, preventing the spread of inflammation both in breadth and deep into the tissues.

Calendula tincture is good for sore throats

For self-preparation of rinses rational use of medicinal raw materials:

• flowers of calendula, sage, chamomile;
• nettle leaves;
• oak bark.

Complications

Considering that the concept of “throat” includes not only the pharynx, with chickenpox in the throat, such a symptom as a cough often occurs, which means irritation or even deeper damage to the upper respiratory tract: laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis. Involvement of the lungs leads to the development of pneumonia.

In case of damage to the organs of the respiratory system, not only sore throat, cough and hoarseness occur, but also mucosal edema, leading to difficulty in the breathing process, and the subsequent formation of sputum makes it even more difficult.

The varicella zoster virus is not only a strong allergen in itself, but also “looses the soil” of the mucous membranes for the introduction of the microflora living in the mouth and nose. Complications caused by the aggression of the flora of a mixed composition are often accompanied by allergic reactions, which further aggravate inflammation – a process that began as bronchitis results in full-fledged pneumonia.

Complications of the respiratory organs require the use of the entire arsenal of treatments, because they lead to the development of respiratory failure of various, often severe degrees.

Medications for children

In cases of chickenpox involving the throat in children, the same preparations for rinsing, irrigation, inhalation are used as for adults, but with a more gentle effect. So, for the treatment of enanthems, one should use only an aqueous solution of greenery, but not alcohol, hydrogen peroxide – only 3%, iodine – only 5% concentration.

Firstly, it is necessary to foresee and prevent the possibility of burns of the mucous membranes – due to the neurotic mobility of the sick child due to the itching and pain experienced, it is difficult to accurately burn the elements of the enanthema.

Secondly, a number of drugs have undesirable effects: drying up the mucous membrane, causing an allergic response to its constituent components or a toxic effect on the nervous system.

Chlorophyllipt is well suited for children

Chlorophyllipt, Furacilin, Chlorhexidine, Miramistin, calendula tincture are the safest preparations for use, but even their use must be approved by a pediatrician.

After a preliminary consultation with a doctor and a careful study of the accompanying instructions for using the drug, it is necessary to strictly observe the dosages and the frequency of its use.

Contraindications for a sore throat

The first impulse when the patient’s temperature rises is to use Aspirin, hot tea with raspberry leaves or with jam from it.

But one should remember about the irritated and inflamed condition of the mucous membrane of the throat and oral cavity, for which hot food and tea are additional traumatic factors.

The use of Asprin (Acetylsalicylic acid) or compounds containing it (Citramon, Askofen, Coficil) for chickenpox is fraught with an even more serious complication – the development of Reye’s (or Reye’s) syndrome.

Aspirin can lead to the death of a patient due to the onset of encephalopathy, culminating in cerebral edema due to a disorder of its biochemistry from the interaction of the drug with substances in the composition of viral structures.

The pathogenic effect of antipyretic drugs contributes to dehydration of the body, which is already experiencing great difficulties due to blood clotting and associated microcirculation disorders.

Chickenpox with the development of an inflammatory process in the throat is a form of the disease complicated by a reduced immune activity of the body. For this reason, the toxins of the virus not only cause great destruction in the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and respiratory tract, but also lead to difficulty in the functioning of the respiratory organs and other body systems.

For the treatment of such a variant of the disease, additional measures are required that are not required in the uncomplicated form, as well as a differentiated approach to the choice of drugs for use. The use of a number of medicines in childhood also has its own characteristics.

Can a sore throat be caused by chicken pox?

Chickenpox is a common, viral disease, accompanied by a rash, fever, and, in addition, the throat often hurts with chickenpox in a child and an adult.

An infection enters the body through the mucous membrane, therefore an irritated red throat appears. When the throat hurts with chickenpox, hoarseness, coughing, and discomfort when talking may occur.

In this article you will learn:

Symptoms pain, high temperature) may be accompanied by discomfort in the oropharynx.

Moderate pain intensity, aggravated after eating or drinking due to the irritating effect of food on damaged mucous membranes, but there is no difficulty in swallowing. Children often refuse to eat, become capricious, may not sleep well due to itching of the skin and burning of the mucous membranes of the mouth.

Examination of the oral cavity shows elements of rashes – enanthemas. As on the skin, this rash consists of spots 5–10 mm in diameter, but vesicles are rarely seen. Due to maceration of the mucous membranes, ulcers and erosions quickly form. The elements of the rash are located on the hard palate, posterior pharyngeal wall, arches, tongue, cheeks and gums. The larynx is less commonly affected.

Sore throat with chickenpox may be accompanied by coughing and hoarseness. With an atypical course of the disease, hemorrhages appear on the mucous membranes, nosebleeds are possible.

Chickenpox symptoms.

Varicella is differentiated from other diseases associated with sore throat. With chickenpox, in comparison with angina, there are no raids on the tonsils. And scarlet fever is characterized by a red throat (“flaming throat”), whitish spots on the inner surface of the cheeks and a crimson tongue.

The mucous membrane of the throat is strewn with similar enanthems in pharyngitis caused by enteroviruses (viral pemphigus of the mouth and extremities), but in contrast to them, with chickenpox, the rash on the skin is located on the body, head, limbs, but is absent on the palms and feet.

Why sore throat with chickenpox

Causes of sore throat in this disease are due to the spread of a bubble rash in the specified area. Such phenomena are typical for patients with a sharply weakened immune system.

Adults and children experience disease differently. The course of severe chickenpox in a child is diagnosed quite rarely. This is partly due to the fact that antibodies to the virus are present in the child’s body until about two years old, transmitted through mother’s milk.

Pain in the larynx with chickenpox is explained by the peculiarities of the development of the disease. The course of smallpox takes place in several stages:

1. Vesicles filled with liquid form on the mucous membrane.
2. After 5-7 (sometimes longer) bubbles burst, leaving open wounds.
3. Wounds heal within a few days.

Each of the above stages is accompanied by itching and other unpleasant sensations. But due to the fact that the mucous membrane is more sensitive to external influences than the skin, during chickenpox, the throat usually hurts a lot.

This fact can be explained by the fact that particles of food and liquid pass through the larynx every day, which irritate damaged tissues. The throat is especially acute with chickenpox in a child during the formation of open wounds or after consuming hot foods or drinks.

Symptoms of chickenpox in the throat

It is difficult to confuse chickenpox with other diseases. She has a number of characteristic features. The virus has an incubation period of about three weeks. This means that up to 20 days pass from the moment of infection to the first symptoms.

At the beginning of the disease, the patient feels general weakness, headache and muscle aches. The temperature rises. These symptoms are similar to flu or acute respiratory infections. If the throat begins to hurt, the disease can be mistaken for the onset of tonsillitis. But in this case, there is a pronounced swelling of the palatine tonsils, the patient may complain of unbearable pain (with chickenpox it is moderate).

Angina and chickenpox are also somewhat similar, but only at the initial stage. In the future, with a cold, a cough appears, and with chickenpox – a rash on the skin. Adults may additionally experience pain in the lumbar region. And in children, this entire period may be asymptomatic.

A day later, a rash begins on the body and a further increase in temperature. This is the hallmark symptom of chickenpox. First, small red spots appear, after a few hours a clear liquid collects in them, forming a bubble. After a couple of days, the liquid disappears, and a crust forms, falling off on its own.

If this place has not been combed, no traces remain after the bubbles. But if there were scratches, the scars can remain for life. This is a very important point that must be taken into account when pimples come out on the face of a child. He must not be allowed to itch, otherwise he will disfigure himself.

The first pimples appear on the neck, then on the head, then descend on the body and limbs. Rashes can be everywhere, and on the mucous membranes, and on the hairline, and in the folds of the skin. Only the palms and feet are not affected. The rash period lasts several days. Then the body is gradually purified.

The mucous throats are the first to be affected, so there may also be rashes. When swallowing, pimples burst, and the patient feels pain. Coughing and hoarseness may occur. What to do with chickenpox in the throat is decided by the doctor after the examination.

Adults are more susceptible to chickenpox than children. In a child, the whole disease can manifest itself only with a rash and a slightly elevated temperature. And if the room is not too hot, and the child does not sweat, then the itching does not bother him much. In adults, symptoms of intoxication are present during the entire period of illness, and this can last more than a week.

Medications for throat gargling

Sore throat causes severe discomfort during meals. You can treat chickenpox in the larynx by rinsing, using the following medicines:

• Furacilin solution;
• Chlorophyllipt solution.

Furacilin is an antimicrobial drug that doctors prescribe for pain in the larynx. Furacilin stops the reproduction of bacteria and viruses. To get a rinse solution, dissolve one tablet of Furacilin in a glass of hot water. The drug is poorly soluble in water, so pre-crush the tablets to a powdery mass.

Gargle with this remedy five times a day. For the treatment of a child, Furacilin can be diluted in the same proportion as for adults. A contraindication to the use of Furacilin is an allergic cough, as the drug can aggravate the course of the disease.

Chlorophyllipt is a medicinal product of natural origin, which consists of myrtle extract and eucalyptus extract. Myrtle in its medicinal characteristics can successfully compete with antibacterial drugs. The leaves of the plant contain substances that have a bactericidal effect. Eucalyptus reduces pain in the larynx. Chlorophyllipt has a bactericidal, antiseptic and antimicrobial effect. This medicine is often used for chicken pox in the throat of children and adults.

To rinse, dilute a teaspoon of alcohol solution in half a glass of warm water. For the treatment of a child of primary school age, half a teaspoon of Chlorophyllipt solution should be diluted in one third of a glass of warm water. For children over ten years old, it is advisable to perform rinsing in the same way as adults. For chickenpox, gargle four times a day. A contraindication to the use of an alcohol solution of Chlorophyllipt is individual intolerance.

General recommendations for treatment

Quite a lot of discomfort is caused by chickenpox in the throat: we have considered how to treat this condition. Now let’s find out how to alleviate the general condition. Experts give such recommendations. First of all, you need to get rid of the itching. It must be remembered that combing the crusts leads to the fact that the surface of the skin is not completely restored and scars remain that will remind you of yourself all your life. Therefore, reducing itching not only improves the tolerance of the disease, but also ensures the absence of pockmarks on the skin.

Recommendations for the treatment of chickenpox.

Great importance in chickenpox is strict hygiene. Keep your skin clean. It is impossible for the patient to sweat, overheat. The first few days of illness, and even better, a week, bed rest should be observed. Linens should be washed as often as possible. If hygiene rules are not followed, a bacterial infection can be introduced into the wounds, which will greatly complicate the course of the disease. It is advisable to wear loose-fitting clothes, made of natural materials, cotton, which covers the body as much as possible: long sleeves and trousers must be worn.

After the crusts begin to appear, you can wash. A bath with a weak solution of potassium permanganate will accelerate healing. In order to reduce severe itching, take antihistamine spectrum drugs. A cool shower will also help reduce discomfort.

Experts recommend taking an antipyretic if you have a high temperature. Headache, muscle pain, body aches will help to satisfy drugs such as nimesulide, paracetamol, ibuprofen. Antiviral drugs, such as acyclovir, are prescribed for patients who suffer from reduced immunity, the elderly, patients with concomitant skin diseases. In the normal course of the disease, immunity, which begins to be produced when the virus enters the body, begins to fight the disease in 5 days.

Thus, there is no specific treatment for chickenpox, the emphasis is on symptomatic treatment. In most cases, the disease goes well and does not give complications, so the treatment takes place at home. If complications occur, hospitalization is possible.

Vaccination is used as a preventive measure. There is still no consensus on the feasibility of this method. It is carried out before the start of the epidemic. The immunity that is developed in this case disappears over time, in contrast to the immunity developed after the transfer of the disease.

How to treat?

Gels and ointments will help to get rid of the sore throat with chickenpox. To eliminate unpleasant symptoms, it is recommended to use the following preparations:

• Sea buckthorn oil. The heads of the blisters should be lubricated with sea buckthorn oil 4 times a day.
• Gels. For the treatment of sore throats in children, you can use Calgel, applying it three times a day with a thin layer on the bubbles. After 2-3 days, the patient will be able to eat and drink calmly, without experiencing pain.
• Solcoseryl. Applying this ointment to the tonsils and larynx helps protect the mucous membranes of the throat and mouth from irritation during meals, as well as reduce pain. The ointment should be used about 3 times a day.

Pathogenetic treatment

To increase the body’s resistance to the action of the virus and reduce the duration of the disease, the doctor may prescribe drugs from the group of interferon reducers (immunostimulants):

• Viferon is a popular remedy. For the treatment of chickenpox, it is effective in the form of rectal suppositories. It can be used to treat children, including newborns, as well as pregnant and lactating women.