What kind of rash could be similar to chickenpox but not chickenpox?

How to distinguish chickenpox from allergies

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How to distinguish chickenpox from allergies if the symptoms of these diseases are similar? This question is often asked by parents. A rash is a characteristic feature of allergic reactions. But not only. With diseases such as rubella, measles, chickenpox, this symptom also appears. In order to recognize what kind of disease lies beneath the rash, you need to know the characteristics of each of them.

Allergy or chickenpox - what's the difference?

For chickenpox to occur, it is necessary for a specific pathogen to penetrate the body - a virus that has an incomparable protein structure.

Herpes virus under a microscope

The allergic process is provoked by substances belonging to different classes of chemical compounds. These are not only proteins alien to the body (food or otherwise), but also substances of simple chemical composition (the class of fruit sugars), or even inorganic compounds, such as soot or ordinary sand - the main components of any dust.

Allergies are caused by allergens, most often food

The time for chickenpox rash to appear on the body is the period required for the virus to begin to multiply massively (about 14 days from the moment of infection). An allergic rash appears a few minutes (tens of minutes) after the substance penetrates the human body.

For the virus to exist, it must penetrate the respiratory tract - an allergy begins both when an allergen substance is inhaled, and when it comes into contact with the skin (by spraying) or into the skin (by injection by insects or other means).

If the occurrence of an allergic response is a reaction caused by the genetic structure of the body, then the development of chickenpox does not depend on the genetic characteristics of a person - susceptibility to the virus is close to 100%.

Treatment of infantile roseola, drugs

There is no specific therapy for pseudorubella. Treatment of roseola in children is aimed at eliminating high fever and its harmful effects on the child’s body, as well as preventing complications:

1. If there are no drafts in the room and the heating is on, the child should be undressed to ensure comfort.
2. To prevent dehydration due to hyperthermia, it is necessary to give the baby a drink every 20 minutes.
3. Antipyretics - the drug of choice is Paracetamol. For young children, a suspension or suppositories are better suited (Panadol and Eferalgan suppositories lower the temperature faster than tablets and suspension). The age-appropriate dosage should be observed; the drug can be given without harm to a small organism every 3-4 hours. Ibuprofen (Nurofen), often prescribed by pediatricians, although it is more effective in reducing fever, is prohibited in the United States for use in children under 12 years of age due to the risk of sudden respiratory arrest. Aspirin is contraindicated in children due to the possible development of Reye's syndrome. It is also not advisable to use Nimesil (Nimesulide), which can cause drug-induced hepatitis.
4. Antihistamines (Claritin, Suprastin) are used to reduce sensitization to viral proteins, which manifests itself as massive rashes on the skin.
5. Antiviral drugs (Acyclovir, Triapen) are used to treat roseola symptoms only as prescribed by a doctor in weakened children.

Repeated consultation with a pediatrician is required in the following cases:

• loss of consciousness and convulsions - call an ambulance;
• fever lasting more than 1 week;
• no regression of the rash 3 days after its appearance.

A sick baby should be isolated for the period of hyperthermia plus 1 day after the temperature normalizes. You can bathe a child with roseola. You can visit a preschool institution once all symptoms of the disease have disappeared and with a doctor’s certificate confirming recovery.

Forecast

Most often, roseola is tolerated by children quite easily. A fundamental part of a favorable prognosis is adequate temperature reduction with safe medications to make roseola symptoms easier to tolerate and supportive antiviral treatment in weakened children.

Correct diagnosis is also very important; for this, a consultation with a pediatrician is required. People only get sick with roseola once, but immunity lasts for life.

In children over 5 years of age, roseola is diagnosed extremely rarely and is asymptomatic.

Complications of roseola

Complications most often occur in children under 1 year of age, who often suffer from colds. The main conditions that should be prevented with roseola:

• convulsions;
• otitis;
• bronchitis and pneumonia;
• meningitis (extremely rare).

To avoid complications of roseola, you must strictly follow all medical recommendations.

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How to distinguish chickenpox from allergies?

photo chickenpox Allergy can be recognized by a number of characteristic signs:

• with contact allergic dermatitis, for example, to metal, localized redness appears at the site of contact, followed by small itchy blisters and weeping;
• with food allergies, the rashes do not have a clear shape, they can be confluent, blisters do not form, and in small children crusts form that cover large areas of the skin. Most often, symptoms develop on the face, as well as on the stomach, back and arms. The mucous membrane is not affected by allergies.

The onset of an allergy is not characterized by typical symptoms of infection: fever, intoxication. A rash immediately appears on the skin without prodromal phenomena. Like chickenpox, the allergic rash is itchy.

An allergic rash, unlike chickenpox, is characterized by various morphological elements.

The rash can cover the entire body or a specific area, can be small or large, but the stagnation like with chickenpox is not typical.

Allergies to pollen or detergents, animal hair are often accompanied by watery eyes, runny nose, coughing, and sneezing.

The following facts will testify in favor of allergies:

• a history of allergic predisposition;
• eating potential allergens - milk, citrus fruits, honey, nuts, chocolate, red fruits, berries, vegetables, fish;
• taking certain medications;
• applying new cosmetic products to the skin;
• changing synthetic detergents;
• the beginning of the flowering period outside;
• the appearance of pets in the apartment.

During the winter season, cold urticaria may appear. Red, dense, swollen spots appear on the skin, which turn pale when pressed. Characterized by itching and burning. The hives go away after a few hours or days.

Treatment

Rubella is often not treated. The patient’s body copes with the virus on its own, suppressing its activity. Treatment is prescribed to eliminate the symptoms characteristic of the disease.

After the appearance of skin rashes and an increase in body temperature, the patient is advised to rest completely.

At this time, drug therapy is carried out, which involves taking drugs that do not have side effects on the patient’s body:

1. Anti-inflammatory drugs. These include Paracetamol, Aspirin and Nurofen. Recommended for restoring body temperature.
2. Antihistamines. Prescribed in the presence of severe allergy symptoms.
3. Delagil. Used to suppress immune reactions. It is prescribed when the course of rubella has caused the development of arthritis. In such circumstances, the immune system, suppressing the activity of the virus, produces antibodies that support the inflammatory process in the joints.
4. Glucocorticoids. Prescribed for thrombocytopenic purpura to suppress the inflammatory process.
5. Heparin. Also recommended for purpura. Helps normalize blood clotting.

The treatment procedure varies depending on the nature of rubella. If the disease causes the development of encephalitis, the patient is admitted to a hospital.

About the nature of the rash: similar, but not chickenpox

Despite the fact that the rash is present in both conditions, it has both characteristic manifestations and is subject to a certain evolution.

Rash is characteristic of different conditions

Chickenpox rash

Chickenpox rashes are initially isolated, then widespread, then a sprinkle is noted - and the reverse development of the formed elements begins. There is no specific sequence in which the rash affects areas of the skin and mucous membranes - the rash appears everywhere.

It goes through stages from a spot and an inflammatory cone with a purulent head to an ulcer with raised edges and a crusty, slightly hyperemic area. The bubble persists for 1-3 days, the crusts fall off after 2-3 weeks, leaving scars at the site of scratching.

Chickenpox is characterized by the simultaneous presence of elements at different stages of development and the appearance of enanthema - analogues of skin rashes located on the mucous membranes, appearing in parallel with the process on the skin, with healing within 1-2 days.

Allergy rash

Allergic rashes are typical pale blisters of various sizes that rise above the surface of the skin. They appear all at the same time, resemble pancakes surrounded by burns - peripheral elements of round or oval shapes, or form a particularly large plaque in the form of a solid shield with scalloped edges. The area usually affected is the area where the damage was caused (bite, sting, rubbing, pollination). Allergic foci, after the cause or treatment disappears, disappear without leaving behind traces in the form of pigmentation or anything else.

Chickenpox is not characterized by pronounced swelling of the skin - a distinctive feature from an allergic rash.

Typical localization of allergy rashes

Itching is significant in both diseases, but with allergies it is accompanied by aching, numbness, “crawling” - for chickenpox it is exclusively a desire to scrape off the irritating factor from the skin.

Factors of influence and nature of the flow

To distinguish the two diseases, you should think and remember exactly what could be the cause of the rash.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with What is bullous dermatitis The causes of blistering rashes on the skin and methods of treating bullae

If a child attends kindergarten and has not shown allergic reactions before, he most likely has smallpox.

If a child attends kindergarten when cases of chickenpox appear there, there should be no doubt - the rash is a manifestation of chickenpox. Preliminary weakness and fever are undeniable symptoms of chickenpox.

Allergies, on the contrary, are characteristic exclusively of people who have a tendency to one or another type of reaction to irritants. It is impossible to become infected with it. A rash manifests itself as an allergy to food or tactile irritants. This is typical for children when new foods are introduced into their diet. Woolen or synthetic clothing can also cause an allergic rash. It goes away without a trace after adjusting the diet or replacing clothing fabrics with hypoallergenic ones.

How does an allergy manifest itself?

The main signs of allergies are rash, swelling, snot and lacrimation

Rash, swelling, runny nose and watery eyes are signs of an allergic reaction. If the body has come into contact with an allergen, then rashes in the form of reddish spots will certainly appear.

How to distinguish allergies? In this case, the rash is localized rather than occurring all over the body. Most often allergic problems are caused by:

• chemicals;
• food;
• dust mites;
• plant pollen;
• fur of any animal.

Every year many children are born with a predisposition to allergies. This figure is constantly increasing. You need to know about this and it is important to distinguish when a child suffers from an allergic reaction and when he gets chickenpox.

If an allergy is detected, the doctor will prescribe the following therapy:

1. Avoiding any contact with allergens that provoke the development of the disease;
2. Taking antihistamines.

Treatment according to Komarovsky

The difficulty in prescribing the correct treatment lies in the difficulty in diagnosing the disease. Usually, looking at the pink rash, the doctor concludes that the child has a drug allergy (after all, the parents have already given him several medications when the temperature rises), and prescribes antihistamines. And when the rash goes away (on the sixth day), mom and dad are sincerely confident that the prescribed treatment helped. In fact, Komarovsky says, the rash would have gone away even without anti-allergy pills, simply because it was time for it to disappear.

In the worst case scenario, the doctor will diagnose rubella and prescribe appropriate treatment.

In the worst case, the district or local doctor does not try to understand the reasons for the child’s rash and immediately prescribes him antibiotics, antiviral drugs and several vitamin complexes (just in case). Roseola, says Komarovsky, is a virus; it cannot be treated with antibiotics in principle, and antiviral agents have no proven effectiveness at all, so their use is essentially useless.

Adequate treatment of herpes virus type six, according to Komarovsky, is not to shove the entire range of the local pharmacy into the child, but to create the best conditions for a speedy recovery:

Give antipyretics. For children, Ibuprofen or Paracetamol are best suited. It should be noted that the temperature with roseola goes down very reluctantly and slowly, it may even seem that the antipyretic drugs did not work at all.

• Give the child plenty of water at the initial acute stage of the disease. The drink should be at room temperature, so it will be absorbed faster. You should not give sweet or carbonated drinks; it is good if the mother cooks a compote of dried fruits for the child, makes a fruit drink, brews weak tea, or gives regular still drinking water. To understand how much liquid you should give your baby at a fever, you need to multiply his weight by 30. This will be the amount of liquid in grams.
• The child's room should not be hot, dry or dusty. Remove all carpets and soft toys, ventilate, and humidify the air. The room temperature should be 18-20 degrees, and the relative air humidity should be 50-70%. If you don't have a humidifier, you can hang wet towels around the house.
• There is no need to overfeed your child during illness. If there is no appetite, you cannot force feed. All food should be easily digestible. If there is vomiting and diarrhea, it is imperative to give the child oral rehydration agents (for example, Regidron).
• If the child is already actively moving and walking, during the initial stage you need to provide him with rest; bed rest will reduce energy costs, and the baby will feel better.

About special variants of chickenpox

Although in the vast majority of cases, the disease that developed in childhood is easily tolerated, with the formation of stable immunity there are exceptions.

Rash due to complications

The possibility of getting chickenpox again exists in people suffering from severe immunodeficiency:

• HIV (AIDS) infected;
• who have undergone organ transplantation;
• those who have difficulty with climate change;
• having experienced severe stress.

The course of chickenpox in patients over 30 years of age is characterized by:

• longer incubation period (up to 21 days);
• the presence of symptoms preceding the period of rash (fever, pain in the lumbosacral region, headaches);
• massive rashes with severe itching, accompanied by general toxic manifestations: high fever with chills, nausea with vomiting, restlessness, insomnia, aches and pains throughout the body;
• greater tendency to complications in the form of lymphadenitis, pyoderma, myocarditis, chickenpox encephalitis.

Scars after chickenpox in adulthood

In the elderly and senile, the disease can manifest itself in the form of an analogue of chickenpox - shingles.

The prodrome period is characterized by significant pain simulating an infarction process in the myocardium or lung, or another disease with significant pain. The area of ​​pain is usually limited to one or two intercostal spaces on one side, although both sides of the body may be involved.

The appearance of a rash (in a typical course, not different from that of chickenpox in either morphology or dynamics of development) is limited by its location within the boundaries of one or two adjacent dermatomes (areas of skin with common sources of blood supply and innervation).

Healing is accompanied by the appearance of pigmentation; in atypical forms (gangrenous and hemorrhagic) it occurs with the formation of superficial skin scars.

Possible variants of the disease:

• with a complete absence of rash and pain (abortive);
• with a rash in the form of large blisters (bullous or vesicular);
• with bloody contents of rash blisters (hemorrhagic);
• with necrosis (death) of the surface layer of skin, replaced by scar-degenerated tissue (necrotic, or gangrenous);
• with the spread of the rash over the entire surface of the body (generalized or disseminated).

Another variant of herpes rash

Complications of the disease can be either neurological (up to the onset of meningoencephalitis) or cause damage to internal organs (development of hepatitis, pneumonia). Often, after suffering from shingles, long-term persistent pain persists in the previously involved area, called postherpetic neuralgia.

Contact with a child with shingles who has not had chickenpox is dangerous for the child to develop full-blown chickenpox.

Is baby roseola dangerous and the consequences of the disease?

Is roseola infantile dangerous? Another common question among parents whose child has contracted this viral infection. Usually, when a child is infected with this viral disease, hospitalization is not required, but in some cases complications may occur.

The main consequence of pseudorubella is the effect of the virus on the child’s central nervous system. Most often, parents are faced with such a dangerous consequence of roseola infantile as convulsions. Much less common is bulging of a large fontanelle or meningoencephalitis, but such serious consequences are also possible. In most cases, complications are observed in children who suffered an infection at the age of 12-15 months.

The following symptoms may indicate the imminent occurrence of seizures in a child:

• cold hands and feet with high body temperature in a child;
• paleness of the skin;
• slight, barely noticeable trembling of the chin, arms and legs.

To prevent the attack from recurring, it is necessary to lower the child’s body temperature as quickly as possible.

Sudden exanthema is dangerous for children with weakened immune systems. This category includes:

• HIV-infected;
• children who have undergone chemotherapy or organ transplantation;
• cancer patients.

The danger of roseola for a child lies in the fact that a weakened body cannot fight the virus on its own. This condition increases the risk of developing complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis and meningitis. Such patients require urgent hospitalization and special treatment measures.

Rarely, against the background of decreased immunity as a result of the development of roseola, the following complications may occur in children:

• acute myocarditis;
• reactive hepatitis;
• polyneuritis;
• intussusception;
• post-infectious asthenia;
• adenoiditis.

What is chickenpox?

Chickenpox is an infectious disease that, as the name suggests, spreads in communities with lightning speed, almost like the wind. That is, it is very easy to get chickenpox. Children usually suffer from this disease, and they tolerate it quite easily. The same cannot be said about adults - for them, chickenpox becomes a real challenge. Fortunately, once you have had this disease, your body develops lifelong immunity to it.

The disease begins with an incubation period, the duration of which varies between 1–3 weeks. That is, a person who has had one contact with a patient with chickenpox may experience signs of this infection during this period. A person with chickenpox can infect someone two days before the rash and another five days after it.

Chickenpox symptoms:

• rash on the skin;
• severe itching;
• elevated temperature;
• general discomfort.

The main symptom of chickenpox is specific rashes.

Initially, they look like small pink spots that appear on the scalp, but very quickly begin to spread throughout the body. Soon these spots become papules - blisters with liquid contents.

After a few days, these papules should burst, after which small ulcerations - vesicles - remain on the skin, which should be treated with any antiseptic (usually brilliant green is preferred) to prevent infection. The rash process continues cyclically for at least 7 days. At the same time, new spots, papules, and vesicles can be observed on the skin at the same time.

After a few days, the ulcers become covered with crusts, which cause itching and soon disappear. If these crusts are severely scratched, characteristic scars may remain on the skin after the disease.

The disease progresses individually in each patient. If someone has a few pimples and the disease goes away easily, with a slight increase in temperature, then others may be covered with rashes from head to toe, and papules can be found even in the mouth and on the mucous membrane of the eyes.

Another noticeable symptom of chickenpox is severe itching. The rashes begin to itch after the vesicles dry out and crusts appear on them. In this case, antihistamines will come to the rescue.

Rubella symptoms

• Intoxication
• Catarrhal phenomena
• Rash
• Enlarged lymph nodes

Manifestations of rubella depend on its form.

Acquired rubella is manifested by the following symptoms:

• A rash that occurs on an unchanged background of the skin in the form of roseola or small spots does not itch. Localization of rashes is the face and limbs (extensor surfaces). On the first day of the disease, they appear almost immediately in all areas, disappear without any traces after 2-3 days.
• Intoxication is moderate (body temperature rises slightly, muscle aches, general weakness).
• The lymph nodes are enlarged - posterior cervical, occipital, and less often - parotid. They may hurt a little when palpated.
• Catarrh of the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx (rhinitis with mucous discharge or nasal congestion) and conjunctiva are slightly expressed.
• Enanthema (spotted redness) may appear on the hard and soft palates.

Congenital rubella manifests itself depending on the stage of pregnancy when the infection occurred:

• If infected in the first 16 weeks of pregnancy, intrauterine death of the fetus is possible as a result of defects incompatible with life or the formation of serious developmental anomalies. The most typical is the so-called Greg's triad, which is manifested by eye damage, cardiovascular system defects and deafness. Developmental abnormalities of the skeletal and nervous systems may also occur.
• Rubella in expectant mothers in the later stages (16 weeks and later) - the risk of congenital deformities is lower, most often these are minor developmental defects and inflammation. The most dangerous is meningoencephalitis.

In adults, the manifestations of rubella are the same, only they are more pronounced. Synovitis is possible - most often the small joints of the hand are affected, sometimes the wrist and ankle. This can happen from 2 to 7 days of illness. The course of synovitis is short-term and benign.

There is a type of disease - rubella measles. In this case, patients experience typical signs of rubella, but the rash is very similar to measles. It starts from the face, then quickly descends to the neck, upper limbs and torso. Elements of the rash are smaller than with measles and disappear quickly.

Allergy similar to chickenpox

The main symptoms of allergies are as follows:

1. itching;
2. burning;
3. runny nose;
4. headaches;
5. tearfulness;
6. disturbances in the stomach and intestines, stool upset;
7. emotional instability;
8. rash.

Typically , allergies have the following characteristics:

• uneven distribution of the rash;
• allergies occur annually to natural manifestations (pollen, flowering) or to food;
• treatment of an allergic reaction is aimed at isolating allergens from the body;
• Allergic manifestations increase every year.

Temperature increase

Chickenpox is characterized by the appearance of fever with values ​​fluctuating in different ranges:

• In mild cases, body temperature rises to 38 degrees. In this case, no further symptoms appear, and the rash may not go through the full development cycle.
• In the moderate form, the temperature is higher (above 38 degrees), which can last for at least a week. Additional symptoms appear.
• In severe cases, a hyperemic crisis is observed - the body temperature reaches 41 degrees. Despite the intensive use of antipyretics, it lasts up to 10 days. In addition to the main ones, additional symptoms are added. The rashes are very intense.

As for allergies, apart from the rash, there is no increase in temperature and no additional symptoms are observed, except for possible itching. This symptom can easily be confused with chickenpox.

Where to contact?

If you feel unwell, have a fever and a rash appears, it is important to consult a specialist as soon as possible. To do this, you need to call a local pediatrician or a private doctor at home, or, if the child’s condition is serious and life-threatening conditions develop, call an ambulance.

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate or give your child any medications, especially antivirals and antibiotics, until examined by a doctor and determined what disease is present. The exceptions are Paracetamol and Ibuprofen at elevated body temperatures.

To simplify the diagnostic process and avoid false diagnoses, doctors do not recommend treating skin rashes with coloring antiseptics.
Despite the fact that chickenpox is usually treated with Fukortsin or brilliant green, this cannot be done, since staining the skin green or red makes it difficult to study the morphological elements and difficulties in making a final diagnosis. [youtube.player]

Whooping cough - a vaccine will help

Another infectious disease against which vaccinations are used is whooping cough. The current symptoms of this bacterial infection are a bit similar to chickenpox, but the rash on the body would definitely be consistent with a diagnosis of chickenpox to a specialist.

With whooping cough, a person suffers from a severe cough. It is the main symptom. During acute attacks, even loss of consciousness occurs and there is a risk of suffocation.

Treatment methods for this disease include eliminating symptomatic manifestations. This includes reducing cough with the help of medications, as well as the use of antibiotics. Parents should be aware that self-medication is very dangerous for children with similar symptoms.

Only a doctor can determine which medicine can help in this situation. Therefore, if there is any suspicion of a viral or bacterial infection in a child, you need to call a doctor at home and especially carefully monitor his health.

What diseases in children are similar?

Chickenpox is one of the most common childhood infectious diseases, which most often affects children from 3 to 7 years old.

You can become infected through contact with a sick person, regardless of the season. The carrier of the virus becomes dangerous to others 2 days before the formation of the rash and continues to remain infectious for 5 days after the appearance of the last elements of the rash.

The incubation period for this childhood infection ranges from 10 to 21 days.

Classic chickenpox, as a rule, does not cause any difficulties in diagnosis:

A distinctive feature of typical chickenpox is the appearance of a rash on the scalp and mucous membranes (in the mouth, on the eyelids), as well as severe itching.

However, if chickenpox occurs in a pustular or rudimentary form, it can easily be confused with other diseases. Difficulties may arise when diagnosing the disease on the first day, when the rash that precedes chickenpox can lead to misdiagnosis.

The list of diseases similar to chickenpox includes:

• Simple herpes.
• Enteroviral fever (Coxsackie).
• Measles, rubella, scarlet fever.
• Streptoderma.
• Allergic reactions, including to insect bites.

The first signs of the disease before the appearance of a specific rash resemble the clinical picture of other viral infections. Headache, weakness, drowsiness, loss of appetite and fever occur with almost all diseases, ranging from colds to rare infections.

Until recently, thanks to mass vaccination, measles was considered a rare disease in children. In recent years, due to interruptions in the supply of vaccines and the popularity of the anti-vaccination movement, the incidence has increased again. Vaccination against measles does not guarantee lifelong immunity, so adults and older people can get this disease.

Measles is similar to the initial stage of chickenpox, as well as its rudimentary form. The pathology begins with fever, pain and sore throat, cough, conjunctivitis. Symptoms of ARVI are accompanied by the appearance of a specific rash on the buccal mucosa - Filatov-Koplik spots.

On days 3-5, a red spotty rash appears on the skin of the face and neck, the next day the rash spreads to the torso, and a day later to the limbs.

When a rash appears, the fever decreases and the patient’s well-being improves.

The main differences between chickenpox and measles:

• Measles rash does not appear simultaneously with fever, but on the 3-5th day of illness.
• The spots are large, bright red, and often merge with each other.
• Measles rash does not have blisters.
• With measles, the rash appears in stages.

In addition, the measles rash does not affect the scalp and mucous membranes, and the disappearance of the rash is accompanied by pigmentation and peeling.

Rubella

Rudimentary chickenpox and rubella are very similar to each other in the morphological elements of the rash. Both of these diseases are accompanied by the appearance of pink-red spots on the patient’s skin.

Like chickenpox, rubella is caused by a virus. The incubation period in the presence of the latter is 11-24 days.

A person is contagious from the 7th day from the onset of the disease to 4 days after the complete disappearance of the rash.

The main manifestations of rubella are fever, the appearance of a small spotted pink rash, and enlargement of the posterior cervical lymph nodes.

Unlike chickenpox, rubella:

• The rash appears on the first day of the disease. This happens simultaneously with an increase in temperature.
• Mottled pink spots appear throughout the body, concentrated on the face, buttocks, and extensor surfaces of the arms and legs.
• Rubella is not characterized by pimples, crusts, or pigmentation.

Compared to chickenpox, the rash with rubella is smaller and is not accompanied by itchy skin.

The pathology is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as it can cause developmental defects in the fetus. That is why doctors recommend checking the titer of antibodies to rubella and, if necessary, re-introducing the vaccine to girls and women planning pregnancy.

Enteroviral fever

Chickenpox leaves behind lifelong immunity, so in most cases it occurs once in a lifetime. However, many people believe that they have had chickenpox twice. This may be due to the fact that several decades ago it was mistaken for enteroviral fever caused by the currently known Coxsackie virus.

The source of infection is a sick person who is dangerous to others within 7-10 days from the onset of the disease. The peak incidence is recorded in late summer – early autumn.

When infected with the Coxsackie virus, the disease begins with symptoms of acute respiratory viral infection, fever, then itchy spots and a blistering rash appear on the skin, the same as with chickenpox.

The difference between enterovirus infection and chickenpox:

• The peak incidence of Coxsackie occurs in the hot season - August, early September, while chicken pox can be recorded all year round.
• The rash with enteroviral fever is most often localized on the flexor surfaces of the feet and palms, as well as in the mouth - on the tongue, palate, and gums.
• After the rash, the skin flakes and peels off like a sunburn.