We chat to two mums about how their little ones have coped with the infection and round up the latest official advice
Chickenpox is currently "rife" on Teesside according to our mum readers, with scores of parents letting us know that the infection has hit our area.
But what should you do if your little one is struck with the illness?
Here we chat to two mums about how their little ones have coped with the infection and round up the latest official advice.
Case Study One:
Ben O’Donnell, four, lives in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, with his mum Katy O’Donnell, 31, a nurse, sister Lily, seven, brother Jacob, one, and dad James, 33, a specialist in public health.
Mum Katy said: “On Saturday morning he had one blister type spot on his neck and I wondered what it was.
“When I took his pyjama top off he was covered in spots.
“He had had us up in the night with a temperature so I had given him Calpol.
“He’s been okay but his temperature does keep spiking.
“I have bought him some spray to sooth the spots.
“I didn’t think they would want us infecting anyone else in the GPs waiting room!
“None of the other children have had them yet but I’m sure they’ll catch them now...
“One of Ben’s teachers said it was really going around in the nursery.”
What you need to know:
What is chickenpox?
* Chickenpox is a mild and common childhood illness that most children catch at some point.
* It causes a rash of red, itchy spots that turn into fluid-filled blisters. They then crust over to form scabs, which eventually drop off.
* Some children have only a few spots, but in others they can cover the entire body.
* The spots are most likely to appear on the face, ears and scalp, under the arms, on the chest and belly and on the arms and legs.
* It’s spread quickly and easily through the coughs and sneezes of someone who is infected.
What to do:
* To prevent spreading the infection, keep children off nursery or school until all the spots have crusted over.
* Chickenpox is most infectious from one to two days before the rash starts, until all the blisters have crusted over (usually five to six days after the start of the rash).
* If your child has chickenpox, try to keep them away from public areas to avoid contact with people who have not had it, especially people who are at risk of serious problems, such as newborn babies, pregnant women and anyone with a weakened immune system.
Treatment:
* Your child is likely to have a fever at least for the first few days of the illness. The spots can be incredibly itchy.
* There is no specific treatment for chickenpox, but there are pharmacy remedies which can alleviate symptoms, such as paracetamol to relieve fever and calamine lotion and cooling gels to ease itching.
* For most children, chickenpox is a mild illness that gets better on its own - but some children can become more seriously ill with chickenpox. They need to see a doctor.
* Contact your GP straight away if your child develops any abnormal symptoms, for example if the blisters on their skin become infected or if your child has a pain in their chest or has difficulty breathing.
The NHS issues standard advice when it comes to chickenpox. Here we've summarised the main points. You can read more at http://ift.tt/V8DJ5h
Case Study Two:
Noah Reed, 18 months, lives with mum Kate Howe, 32, a nurse, and dad Peter Reed, 29, an engineer, in Ingleby Barwick.
Mum Kate said: “I have heard about lots of cases recently - there have been just so many.
“I think it’s rife.
“It started with Noah just over a week ago - only with three spots.
“More and more popped up and it took about four to five days for them to come out.
“I had an inkling what it was - and had it confirmed by the pharmacist and bought a couple of antihistamine creams.
“We did end up going to the out of hours GPs as we thought a few of his spots had become infected - and so he is now on antibiotics.
“He’s pretty covered now - he’s even got them on the soles of his feet and in his hair, as well as the infected ones on his face and his back.
“He has been quite off his food and clingy.
“He did have a temperature last week, but I’ve been treating that with regular paracetamol and the antihistamine to stop him from itching.
“We are just waiting for the last few to scab over.”
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