Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Published : January 19, 2017 5:15 PM IST
I am a 30-year-old woman. I recently got chicken pox, but my aunt said that there is no treatment for chicken pox. She also said that the infection takes its time to subside and all you need to do is just take rest and stay hydrated. Is it true? Do I need to stay at home and got out until the till the boils dry out? Aren't there any treatment options for chickenpox? Please answer.
The query is answered by Dr Pradip Shah, Consultant Physician, Fortis Hospital, Mumbai.
Well, the first and most important point to consider if you are suffering from chickenpox is to be quarantined, meaning stay isolated. The reason being, chickenpox highly contagious as it can spread through direct contact with the infected person or air by coughing or sneezing. Once in contact with a person infected with chickenpox, it might take 10 - 21 days to develop symptoms. The illness usually lasts about 5 10 days, during which the boils dry and form a scab, which peels off after few days. The patients are contagious from 1 2 days before the rash start to appear until 4-5 days after the appearance of the blisters (or till all the boils are crusted over). Hence, it is highly recommended that a person suffering from chickenpox should be restricted from going outside for at least ten days after the appearance of symptoms as the risk of spreading the infection to others is extremely high. Also, it is advised that the family members who have not suffered from chickenpox should get vaccinated (if not done earlier) if one of the family members suffers from the infection. Here are few things you should NEVER do if suffering from chickenpox.
As far as treatment is concerned, chickenpox can be treated with bed rest, fluids and controlling the symptoms like fever, headache, etc. However, children with chickenpox are not advised aspirin as it might increase the risk of Reye's syndrome. And this is the reason, why acetaminophen is the medication of choice to keep the fever in control. In some cases, your doctor might recommend antiviral medications like acyclovir to fight chickenpox virus due to its specific action and comparatively low toxicity on healthy cells. However, the course of the treatment is dependent on the age and severity of the infection. The medications help in minimising the outbreak of the boils by attacking the virus. Also read should you take a bath if you have chicken pox?
In some cases, you can get chickenpox even if vaccinated. However, the severity of the infection is very low, and the symptoms usually subside quickly than those who develop the infection without vaccination. For quick recovery, it is important to stay hydrated, stay indoors and take sufficient bed rest along with taking medications. Here are a few tried and tested home remedies for chickenpox scars that work!
Image Source: Shutterstock
