The literal translation of this sentence is, ’Dr, my child has got mother/goddess’.
While this would sound funny to anyone who is not from India, we understand this perfectly.
Traditionally in India, we would assume illnesses to be caused by some God in our pantheon of divine forces. ‘Maata’ or ‘Devi’ in Marathi is another name for pox infections in India. Badi maata is smallpox and choti maata is a name for chickenpox.
In this season we are facing a lot of cases of fever with rash.
Now rashes come in different types; macular, papular, vesicular or pustular.
Or to put it in colloquial language, laal phodi,paani ka phodi or daana.
Some rashes have a typical pattern.
We see a lot of viral rashes in this season. So, let us take a look at the most common rash types.
Hand foot mouth disease–
The child gets reddish or water-filled boils on hands legs and face. The child can also get similar lesions inside her mouth and throat. This may be accompanied by cold cough and fever.
Chickenpox–
The rash is similar to hand foot mouth but will be present on the chest, abdomen, and back also. The rash and fever severity is usually more severe than HFM. But in vaccinated children, the severity of the disease is much lesser.
Dengue fever–
It is a reddish rash that can come all over the body. The rash can be accompanied by itching.
Measles–
This rash typically begins from the hairline or behind the ear and then covers the entire body. Usually accompanied by high fever, cold and cough. Vaccinated children can get a milder version of the same.
Rubella–
This is also known as 3-day measles or German measles. It looks like a milder and shorter-lasting variant of measles.
But if this disease affects a pregnant woman, especially in the first trimester, it can cause eye, ear and heart abnormalities in the fetus. But the MMR and MR vaccine provides very effective coverage against this disease.
Now, most of the viral rashes are accompanied by other symptoms like cold cough fever of varying severity which can last between 3-7 days.
Most of the rashes appear around the third day after the onset of other symptoms.
Most of the viral illnesses are self-limiting, barring complications. In all viral illnesses, it is very important to ensure that the child is kept symptomatically comfortable. Some of the viral infections like HFM, chickenpox, measles, etc are highly contagious.
Child specialist can guide you regarding the contagious period and symptomatic treatment for each disease. The child mustn’t come in contact with other children in case of contagious diseases to prevent the widespread of the disease. As parents, we should be responsible and ensure that not just our child but other children are also prevented from getting infected.
For More Information Contact Dr. Pravin Kasliwal is Child specialist in Nashik, he one among the leading Paediatrician , having Paediatric the specialization for many years.