are young children generally unwell before they get chicken pox(its years since mine had it )cant remember?

Question

there is an outbreak of chickenpox at playschool and my grandson is generally not to happy off his food and complainig of tummy ache

we dont immunize against chicken pox here in the UK

Answer 1

when my cousin starting showing symptoms of chicken pox she started with a fever and upset stomach making us think it was the flu. if i remember correctly thats what is was like for me and my three siblings as well.

Answer 2

Children now get immunized against Chickenpox (Varicella).

They shouldn't get the disease.

My last son was born in 1999 and has never had Chickenpox. YET that is!

MY older 2 children were born in 1992 & 1994 and GOT THE ACTUAL DISEASE!!!


A-Z Health Guide from WebMD: Health Topics

Chickenpox (Varicella)

Symptoms

The incubation period—the time from exposure to the chickenpox virus until you develop symptoms—is usually 14 to 16 days but can be from 10 to 21 days. The first symptoms of chickenpox infection include:

A fever of 100.4 °F(38 °C) to 103 °F(39.4 °C).
Feeling sick, tired, and sluggish.
Little or no appetite.
Headache and sore throat.
The first symptoms are usually mild in children, but they can be severe in adults. These symptoms may continue throughout the illness.

About 1 or 2 days after the first symptoms of chickenpox appear, an itchy rash develops. During a typical course of chickenpox:

Red or swollen spots or bumps appear and turn into pimplelike blisters filled with clear or cloudy fluid.
The blisters break open, often leaking fluid.
A dry crust forms over the broken blisters as they heal.
Chickenpox is most contagious from 2 to 3 days before the rash develops until all the blisters have crusted over.

Answer 3

Hello

Being a little 'off color' can indicate that your grandson has been exposed to chickenpox. Every child is different and their reactions to the disease vary greatly.

Usually the prodromal stage (before the spots show), can have the child being very restless and irritable. they look like they are suffering from the 'flu' more than anything else.

It is a pity that you dont vaccinate against this disease as it is quite life threatening in adults. Here in Australia we offer the vaccination to children and also adults if their blood test is negative because of the effects that adults can have if exposed.

In my years of nursing in Infectious Diseases I have seen many adults come in, covered head to toe with spots. ALL of them have ended up in intensive care. Only two have made it out. The problem is that the 'blisters' go internally in adults and usually are in the lungs. You can then imagine when they burst, the adult feels like they are drowning. Those open sores then take so long to heal, the immune system is severley compromised, and, as I have stated, I have only seen two of my patients make it out of intensive care, with any quality.

My mother, when I was a child, took me around to houses if they had any of the childhood diseases, just so that I could catch them. She said.... better to have it now than as an adult.

That is very old thinking and I would be the first person now to say go vaccinate. It is a must. But since UK doesnt offer it, then all I can say is that I hope your grandson does have a dose of the chickenpox as it is better to have it when young. A few weeks of having an upset, agitated, restless child is so much more worth it compared to having it as an adult. I know people will say - how irresponsible, but I have seen adult chickenpox and it is horrible.

Remember this is a disease that is airborne for the first few weeks, then contagious by touch after the spots come out. You can never protect anyone 100% against this virus unless they have had it, or have been immunised.

Good luck and if he does have it, I hope it isn't too bad.

Answer 4

symptoms (before those blisters pop out) are usually like how you would get an infection -- you get fevers, you don't feel well. i got mine when i was 12 years old and i think it is safer for younger kids to have them while they are still young, rather than when older (which is harder).

however, i don't know about the varicella immunization because i had that shot when i was a baby and i was still contaminated when i was 12. the good news is, once you've had chicken pox, more likely you will not have them again next time you are exposed -- you are immune to it already. but there ARE cases when people would get contaminated again, very unlikely though.

when your child gets chickenpox, he has to stay home so that he doesn't infect other people. when i had mine, i stayed home for 2 weeks.

Answer 5

Hello.
I actually had the chickenpox when i was 18 so i was old enough to remember. The day before I got them on my face, I felt like someone had run me over with a lorrie. It was aches and pains all over. I was exhausted. The next day I woke up and thought i had a few zits but stil felt like i had the flu. It was the next day that i knew it was way more than just the flu.

i hope he doesn't have them ... but it is better to get them when you are small as they get worse as you age

Answer 6

Chicken pox is a virus.The symptom is like having a flu,Body ache,No appetite,Always thirsty,elevated Temperature and an urges to scratch.

Answer 7

2-3 days of cold cough occur in some children.

Answer 8

doesnt sound good does he have a temperature as well? remember that you dont always get spots my son only had 1 at back of his neck while my daughter was covered