Prognosis | Shingles in children

Prognosis

Especially in children the prognosis is good. In most cases, the disease heals on its own after less time. Nevertheless, scars can remain if the little patients scratch themselves too much, resulting in small wounds instead of blisters. Nevertheless, there is always the possibility that the disease will progress more severely, causing damage to nerves or paralysis, which can cause considerable problems.

How long is shingles contagious?

In shingles, itchy fluid-filled blisters form on the skin. These become encrusted and heal. However, if the blisters burst open beforehand and empty their contents, one can become infected with the virus.

If all the blisters are encrusted, you are no longer contagious. This also applies to chickenpox. In contrast to shingles, the pathogens of chickenpox are also transmitted by droplet infection.

This is not the case with shingles. Only contact with the contents of the blister is contagious. It takes about 1-3 weeks before the blisters become encrusted.

Prophylaxis

It is difficult to protect oneself against infection with the Varizella Zoster virus. Of course, adequate hygiene is important and always caution is required, especially if you know that the person you are dealing with is acutely infectious. Nevertheless, the vast majority of people become infected with the pathogen.

In the best case, this happens as a child, and one experiences a decent chickenpox illness and thus has a good immunity against further infection or outbreak of the disease. It is also important, as with many other diseases, to maintain a good immune system and take care of your health. The better the immune system is pronounced, the less likely an outbreak of the disease is.

Risk of infection

The causative agent of shingles, the Varicella Zoster Virus, is highly contagious. However, it is only the content of the vesicles that contains the pathogens. If you do not scratch yourself or if the vesicles are well covered, for example under a thick sweater, you can protect others well from infection.

However, it is also possible to become infected by sneezing or coughing if there are pathogens in the saliva. Of course, sufficient hygiene must be ensured, because especially if you wash your hands often, you minimize the risk of infection. You should also be careful who you meet during this time if you are ill. Above all, you should avoid contact with pregnant women, babies and people with an attacked immune system.