Milford chronicle., 1955-02-25
Childhood Milestone
ChickenpOx
By DOROTHY ". wHlPPLE, N. o.
AP Newsfeatures

AP Newsfeatures
Chickenpox is almost a "must
Of childhood Very few children
grow up without at some time hav-
ing this disease. We have no way
Of immunizing people against it,
One attack almost always gives
lifelong immunity Second attacks
can occur but they are rare.
Usually a mild disease in chill
hood, it's likely to be more severe
in adult life. The sickest patients
I see with this disease are the Oc-
casional mothers who come down
with it when their children get it.
Therefore on the whole it's really
better to have the disease in child
hood and be through with it.
Usually the first sign Of the dis
ease is the rash. Occasionally a
child will have a little fever and
be a bit irritable the day before
the rash appears, but more often
mother has not noticed a thing out
of the ordinary until she finds the
rash
The rash Of chickenpOX begins
as tiny itchy spots. Sometimes the
spots look like little mosquito bites,
with a small area Of redness around
them. Sometimes there is very lit
tie redness and the lesion looks
like a drop Of water on the skin.
A little fluid forms in the LESSONS,
then It begins to dry up and form
a scab. Most of the rash appears
on the arms and legs. Often some
spots appear in the mucous mem
branes of the mouth or nose, or in
the rectumaOr vagina.
The LESSONS of chickenpOX come
out in crops for several days. The
first ones win be scabbed over and
the new ones viii be just appear
ing.
During the time the spots are
appearing, the child may have q
small amount of fever and not fee
very well. Sometimes there is nC
fever at all, and once in great
while a child will be quite sick witt
temperature of 104 or even 105.
AS soon as all the LESSONS are
scabbed over, the temperature re
turns to normal and the child feels
well again. This takes from three
or four days to seven or eight de-
pending upon the severity of th'
case.
Chickenpox is caused by a viru
which is present in the blood, thr
nose and throat and IN the ski
LESSONS of the sick child. The dis
ease is spread by nose and thrOa
infection and probably also b,
contact with the skin LESSONS,
is very communicable. A child witt
chickenpOx merely needs to wall
through a classroom to give th
disease to many Of the other chill
dren.
It takes about 2 weeks after eX
posure for a child to come dow
with the disease. He cannot Civ
the disease to others until abOu
"a hours before the rash appears
He continues TO be infectious unit
all the LESSONS are dried and scat
bed over. As soon as the sCabs ar
dry, the child is over the diseas
and may return to school. Som
years ago it was thought that
child could give chickenpox t
others as long as he had scabs o
his body. We know now this ism
so and now permit children to rC
turn to school long before all tn
seabs are off.
ChickenpOx usually needs littl
or no treatment. Some ointment {
lotion on the skin to pFeveI
scratching, attention to fingeB mai
to make sure they are short an
clean is about all It Is importal
to make sure Of the diagnosis.
there is the least doubt in yoI
mind about what your child ha
better have the doctor see hii
even if the child is not very sick