Chickenpox
While there is no vaccine to prevent all types of conjunctivitis or lice, there is, of course, for that other dreaded age-old malady: chickenpox. Its fancy, formal name is varicella, and for anyone who’s endured this wretched disease knows how contagious it is. According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, it usually starts with a fever, followed by an itchy rash that turns to red spots that in turn fill with fluid. Within five days the blisters (up to 500 of them!) dry out and form scabs.
The disease is infectious from two days before the rash appears, so kids don’t know they’re gifting it to their friends, who will become infected two to three weeks after contact. The only way to stop the spread is to keep their distance from anyone with chickenpox, ideally by not sharing the same room or even the same house since it can even spread through the air.
Since you can’t cure the pox once you have them (the only treatment is acetaminophen for fever, not aspirin, and baking-soda baths and doctor-recommended cream for itch), the best prevention is a shot in the arm. Get your tots vaccinated when they’re 12 to 18 months old, and again with a booster between four and six years old (most parents include it in their routine measles, mumps and rubella vaccine schedules). If your teen has never had chickenpox, he should get his two shots at least four weeks apart.
Bumps and bugs are all part of growing pains. But when your kid comes home from school with a little extra-curricula in his system, you’ve done your homework and know how to solve the problem.
Robin Roberts 