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What are the chickenpox? |
Chickenpox is a type of sickness that a lot of kids get, but it has nothing to do with chickens! Just like the flu or a cold, chickenpox is caused by a virus that people can catch from touching or being around someone else who has chickenpox. When people get chickenpox, it might even seem like a cold or the flu. They may cough, sneeze, have a fever or be achy, but chickenpox has a very interesting rash that comes with it. This rash lets doctors know that a person has chickenpox.
The rash can be very itchy and it covers a person’s whole body! It usually looks like a lot of really small red bumps. These usually last for one or two weeks. During that time it’s important that kids stay home from school, so the other kids in their classes don’t get sick too.
The good thing about chickenpox is once you get them, it’s almost impossible to get them again. A lot of times, kids will get special shots called “vaccines” that can help them not catch chickenpox at all.
Bathing in Breakfast!
If you catch chickenpox, you’ll feel very itchy. A grown-up might have you take a very strange bath to make you feel less itchy. It’s a bath in oatmeal!
Have you ever had oatmeal for breakfast? You might think it’s delicious, or you might think it’s gross. Think about how it feels when you eat it. What about it would make your skin stop itching?
When special oatmeal is mixed with your bathwater, it soothes your skin. It might seem slimy, but it’s very nice and calm feeling for your skin. The itchy chickenpox rash won’t seem so bad!