Chickenpox Treatment, how to treat chickenpox at home, lifestyle, and home remedies.
Chickenpox is an infection caused by a virus called the varicella-zoster virus. It causes an itchy rash with small, fluid-filled blisters. Chickenpox is highly contagious to people who haven't had the disease or been vaccinated against it. It can spread through direct contact with the rash. It can also spread when a person with the chickenpox coughs or sneezes and you inhale the air droplets this will usually occur if you are in the same room with the infected person

Risk factors
Your risk of becoming infected with the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox is higher if you haven't already had chickenpox or if you haven't had the chickenpox vaccine. It's especially important for people who work in child care or school settings to be vaccinated.
Most people who have had chickenpox or have been vaccinated against chickenpox are immune to chickenpox. Even amongst those vaccinated a few can get chickenpox more than once, but this is rare and symptoms are often milder, with fewer blisters and mild or no fever

Who is at risk?
People who are at higher risk of complications from chickenpox include:
• Newborns and infants whose mothers never had chickenpox or the vaccine
• Adolescents and adults
• Pregnant women who haven't had chickenpox
• People who smoke
• People whose immune systems are weakened by medication, such as chemotherapy, or by a disease, such as cancer or HIV
• People who are taking steroid medications for another disease or condition, such as asthma


Signs and Symptoms of Chickenpox
The main symptom of chickenpox is an itchy blistering rash that appears on the skin 10 to 21 days after exposure to the virus and usually lasts about five to 10 days. Other signs and symptoms, which may appear one to two days before the rash, include:
• Fever
• Loss of appetite
• Headache
• Tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell (malaise)
Once the chickenpox rash appears, it goes through three phases:
• Raised pink or red bumps (papules), which break out over several days
• Small fluid-filled blisters (vesicles), which form in about one day and then break and leak
• Crusts and scabs, which cover the broken blisters and take several more days to heal

Lifestyle and home remedies
To help ease the symptoms of an uncomplicated case of chickenpox, follow these self-care measures
1. drink plenty of fluid (try ice lollies if your child is not drinking) to avoid dehydration

2 . Avoid scratching as it can cause scarring, slow healing, and increase the risk of the sores becoming infected. If your child can't stop scratching: cut your child's fingernails and put socks on their hands at night to stop them from scratching

3. Relieve the itch and other symptoms
The chickenpox rash can be very itchy, and broken vesicles sometimes sting. These discomforts, along with fever, headache, and fatigue, can make anyone miserable. For relief, try:
• A cool bath with added baking soda or uncooked oatmeal. And pat the skin dry with a towel instead of rubbing
• Apply cooling creams and lotions such as Calamine lotion or calamine cream on the spots.
• Eat a soft, bland diet if chickenpox sores develop in the mouth.
• Antihistamines such as cetirizine, loratadine can be bought over the counter from your local pharmacy to help with the itch. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure your child can safely take antihistamines.
• Take paracetamol for a mild fever.
• dress in loose clothes

Some Precautions to take:
don't give aspirin to children and teenagers who have chickenpox because it can lead to a serious condition called Reye's syndrome. Talk with your doctor before giving any type of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) — such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) — to someone who has chickenpox. Some studies suggest this type of medication may lead to skin infections or tissue damage.
do not go near newborn babies, people who are pregnant, and people with a weakened immune system, chickenpox, can be dangerous for them

Get In touch with your doctor
• the skin around the chickenpox blisters is hot, painful, and red, but redness may be harder to see on brown or black skin
• your child has chickenpox and is dehydrated
• chickenpox symptoms suddenly get worse
• you're pregnant and have not had chickenpox before, or you're not sure, and you've been near someone with chickenpox
• you have a weakened immune system and have been near someone with chickenpox
• you think your newborn baby has chickenpox




Disclaimer: This video is solely for educational purposes only. It is not intended to replace medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of any medical condition. contents have been created from gathering information from various sources and from experience. seek medical advice from an appropriate healthcare practitioner if you need help with any medical problem.

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