Cold Sores in Children

Content:

• How to treat it? Ointments, lotions and diet
• Herpetic conjunctivitis
• Genital herpes

Most people believe a cold sore to be nonsense you can cure with the help of antiviral ointment. “Herpes of lips is a serious disease to be dangerous for one’s health”, Tatiana Semenova, M.D., Head doctor of Moscow Anti-herpetic Municipal Center commented.

Herpes of lips is considered to be a result of an acute respiratory disease, ARD. In fact, this malady is provoked by 1^st type herpes simplex virus. Scientists know about 100 herpes viruses; 8 of them are human ones. The 8^th, the 7^th and the 6^th types have not been learnt by medics up to this moment. The 5^th type, called cytomegalovirus is the most dangerous virus for pregnant women and children. The Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), the 4^th type stimulates infectious mononucleosis. Fever, sore throat and lymph nodes enlargement attend this acute infectious disease.

The other disease stimulants are well known as far as the 3^rd one, Zoster, triggers off chickenpox in children and shingles in adults.

The top virus is herpes simplex virus of the 2^nd (genital one) and the 1^st types. 95% of world populations are virus carriers, medics believe. 1^st type virus infects one’s body at the early childhood.

One can pick up a virus through a kiss, air, toys and dishes in a kindergarten. This infection stays in one’s body for the rest of his life. It is activated in case your immune system is weakened to result in a cold or some other disease, a stress, overcooling, overheating and etcetera.

The most frequent cold is herpes of lips, which can pass to mouth mucous membrane, nose, chin skin, ears and forehead or develop into herpetic stomatitis.

Treatment: Ointments, lotions and diet

Labial herpes arises unexpectedly; but its symptoms are explicit long time before:

• Burning in a place of affection;
• Pricking;
• Light pain.

If a child has these symptoms, it is advisable to apply anti-herpetic ointment. Use it 3-5 times a day. It is important to suppress it at once.

If the result is negative, it leads to inflammation: swelling on the lips – lot of tiny bubbles with the liquid. Up to the very recovery, it is necessary to apply a special ointment each 3-4 hours.

Then, bubbles crack and exude the virus. This period is the most transmissible one. Apply the ointment with the help of cotton buds instead of a finger. After the procedure, wash your hands thoroughly using soap.

After this, bubbles develop sores, covered with a scab. Do not scratch it as you may infect the wound. In this case, a recovery process will be slow.

Apply cold lotions to reduce itch

Use already brewed and frozen tea bags or chamomile infusion. It may take up to 2 days to recover.

Forbidden product for children in case of sore cold:

• Citrus plants;
• Chocolate;
• Nuts;
• Hum.

All these products aggravate the disease. Stint yourself in sweets abuse. Eat food, rich in lysine: fish, yoghurts, ryazhenka, cheese, meat and vegetable oil.

Besides, take polyvitamins within 1 month, then stop for a break and start once again. The whole course lasts no less than 3 months.

If you suffer form a herpes virus very seldom, do not worry. However, if you have it 6 times per month, then, probably, you have a serious health problem and it is important to apply to dermatologist or specialized center to treat herpes. In fact, frequent recidivism indicates immune system pathology. Thus, it is recommended to undergo medical examination.

Herpetic conjunctivitis

The 1^st type Herpes Virus may provoke eye-lesion, Marina Vladimirovna, children’s ophthalmologist warns. One can carry infection by touching eyelids after scratching cold sore. It infects organ of visions through blood over the optic nerve. The 1^st symptom of herpetic conjunctivitis is bubble appearance of

skin rash around eyelids close to eyelashes. It starts on the inner surface of an eye and provokes lacrimation, photophobia and eye redness. If you faced the 1^st symptoms, apply to the oculist immediately. Inflammatory process may affect cornea of eyeball vessels and reduce vision, to lead to cataract.

Genital Herpes

The 2^nd virus type, genital herpes, is sexually transmitted disease. However, in USA, about 70 % of 14 years old teenagers visit a doctor concerning this malady. Russia does not have such statistics.

Infection is also transmitted domestically: hygiene failure, by using somebody else’s towel or bath sponge or soap. According to recent researches, there are only 10 % of infected people with this disease.

Also, this virus is dangerous as it triggers off noncarrying of pregnancy. As to men, their sperm is incapable of fertilization.

“The 2^nd type herpes has the same symptoms as the 1^st one”, Nikolay L’vov, M.D. and professor explained. The difference is that bubbles are developing on mucous membrane of organs of generation and nearby areas. Incubation period takes between 1-10 days. It is treated by means of antiviral ointments and drugs and it passes within 5-7 days. But this problem may recur almost every month. Weak immune system, infectious disease, menses, stress, overcooling and climate change lead to acute condition.

Thus, parents should be very attentive to this problem.