Chickenpox is a disease that most often affects children. This is not bad, because at an early age it proceeds relatively easily, without complications, and immunity persists for the rest of your life. After 5 days, the child becomes much better, only spots all over the body remain as a memory of the disease, which will remind of him for another few weeks. Because of this, parents often ask doctors: how long do they stay at home with chickenpox? Today we will try to understand this issue.
What is this
Chickenpox, or otherwise smallpox, is a group of acute infectious diseases. In fact, the virus does not care whether you are an adult or a child. It's just that babies have weaker immunity, so it's much easier to attack him.
The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets, and in childhood it is one of the most common. But if you missed this ailment in childhood, this does not mean that you are lucky. Symptoms in an adult are more pronounced and the chance of complications is much higher. Some feel so weak that they cannot even get out of bed. Therefore, the question of how much people stay at home with chickenpox becomes very relevant.
General Description
The first signs begin with fever and the appearance of a blistering rash on the body. Chickenpox is caused by the herpes virus. The disease is transmitted from sick to he althy through conversation or other interaction in a cramped room.
All disinfection measures can be considered completely ineffective. The virus moves through the air, but since it quickly dies in the external environment, it is not necessary to process the room after a sick person has been in it.
In fact, a person becomes contagious long before he notices the first symptoms. In this regard, the question of how long people stay at home with chickenpox takes on a new meaning. If we consider the incubation period, then the course of the disease can stretch for a long time. Only the latent phase, when the symptoms have not yet manifested themselves, lasts from 10 to 20 days. A sick leave is not required for this time, and the person himself does not yet suspect that he is a carrier of the chickenpox virus.
But during this period it is contagious. When contacting a doctor, you need to prepare for a detailed answer to the question of with whom inthe last few days there has been close contact. This is important so that at subsequent visits he can quickly make a diagnosis. For example, if a child attends a kindergarten, then most likely there will be other appeals from this group.
Stages of disease
It is important for every parent to know how long the care of a sick baby will last, because work does not always tolerate a long absence. It should be noted that the period from the appearance of the first bubbles to the disappearance of the last spots is not equal to how long they stay at home with chickenpox.
- Infection stage. The virus enters the body and begins to multiply. There are no symptoms of the disease at this stage.
- First signs. The immune system reacts to a foreign invasion. At this time, pain in the lower back may appear, the patient feels weak. The first symptoms may appear within three days, and the person at this time already becomes contagious. But many still do not realize that chickenpox is to blame. It is too early to talk about how many days to sit at home with chickenpox. Everything is individual: someone will feel great in three days, and for someone even two weeks is not enough.
- The appearance of a blistering rash. Most often, after 3-10 days, they disappear, and a person can continue a normal life.
- The moment when you see that there are no new rashes can be called a turning point. At the same time, a person feels an improvement in his condition. The acute stage is over, recovery is coming.
If immunity is weakened
It depends on the state of the defender cells how many days a child stays at home with chickenpox. Often, parents believe that it is not necessary to protect the baby from chickenpox. On the contrary, if a sick person appears in the environment, they try to increase the number of contacts with him. On the one hand, they are right. Get sick in childhood and forget. But this issue also needs to be approached with caution.
Don't do this if your child has recently had the flu or a cold. Immunity simply has not yet had time to recover, and recovery will be delayed for a longer time. Sometimes and after two weeks it is all covered with a rash. The sick leave, even in this case, will not be extended longer than 10 days, but the doctor will recommend keeping the child at home and avoiding physical exertion.
In some cases, it also happens that the body cannot cope, and the varicella-zoster virus takes a defensive position. That is, it remains in the body and gradually undermines its strength. In this case, periodic rashes are possible near the affected nerve, or there are no external manifestations, and the person simply periodically feels pain. Diagnosis is made more difficult by the fact that it is difficult for a child to explain his feelings. He will face the consequences in adulthood.
If you didn't get sick in childhood
It often happens that a mother is faced with this ailment when her children bring it from school. Moreover, if the latter already feel good after a few days, then you will not envy the parent. Therefore, do not self-medicate andbe sure to consult a doctor if you already have chickenpox. How long to stay at home, the therapist will decide based on your condition.
If there is a suspicion of chickenpox, it is better to call a doctor at home, and not go to the clinic yourself. This way you will protect other people from being infected. A sick leave sheet is opened by a doctor after an examination, based on the symptoms present. Since chickenpox is a contagious disease, it is opened for a period of 7 days. If the condition of an adult is serious, then the doctor can extend the sick leave, but the maximum duration is limited to 15 days.
Complications
As you can see, it is necessary to decide how many days you need to stay at home with chickenpox, based on the characteristics of the course of the disease. If everything is fine, then after 3 days the rashes may disappear, and after another two you will return to normal life. And what to do if complications begin after chickenpox? Sick leave is limited to 15 days and the doctor cannot extend it. In this case, it is necessary to assemble a commission, which makes a decision that the patient really cannot work. Then he is transferred to the hospital. This is especially true for adults and elderly patients.
Instead of a conclusion
Chickenpox is a contagious disease that can lead to complications if left untreated. Therefore, you can not neglect the help of a doctor. Even if you or the child is feeling well. The district doctor will more accurately answer how long children with chickenpox stay at home. But usually not longer than 10 days. Whenhigh temperature, fever and weakness call a doctor immediately. If chickenpox normally goes away without treatment, then in case of complications, it is necessary to use antiviral agents and immunomodulators. In some cases, antibiotics may also be prescribed if bacterial damage to organs occurs against the background of a viral infection.
