|
Home / Health / Diseases and Conditions
Chicken Pox - What You Should Know About This Infectious Disease
By:Heather Colman
Chicken Pox is the common name for Varicella simplex, classically one of the childhood infectious diseases caught and survived by most children.
Chicken Pox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It starts with moderate fever and then characteristic spots appearing in two or three waves, mainly on the body and head rather than the hands and becoming itchy raw pox (pocks), small open sores which heal mostly without scarring.
Chicken Pox has a two-week incubation period and is highly contagious by air transmission two days before symptoms appear. Therefore, Chicken Pox spreads quickly through schools and other places of close contact. Once someone has been infected with the disease, they usually develop protective immunity for life. It is fairly rare to get the Chicken Pox multiple times, but it is possible for people with irregular immune systems. As the disease is more severe if contracted by an adult, parents have been known to ensure their children become infected before adulthood.
The disease can be fatal. Pregnant women and those with immune system depression are more at risk. Death is usually from varicella pneumonia. In the US, 55 percent of Chicken Pox deaths were in the over-20 age group. Pregnant women not known to be immune and who come into contact with Chicken Pox should contact their doctor immediately, as the virus can cause serious problems for the fetus.
A Chicken Pox vaccine has been available since 1995, and is now required in some countries for children to be admitted into elementary school. In addition, effective medications (e.g., aciclovir) are available to treat Chicken Pox in healthy and immunocompromised persons. Calamine lotion is often used to ease itching and paracetamol to reduce fever. Aspirin is not recommended in children with Chicken Pox, as it can lead to Reye's syndrome.
Chicken Pox is highly infectious infection that spreads from person to person by direct contact or through the air from an infected person’s coughing or sneezing. Touching the fluid from a Chicken Pox blister can also spread the disease. A persons with Chicken Pox is contagious 1-2 days before the rash appears and until all blisters have formed scabs. This may take between 5-10 days. It takes from 10-21 days after contact with an infected person for someone to develop Chicken Pox.
The Chicken Pox blisters start as a small red papule which develops an irregular outline in the shape of a rose petal. A thin-walled, clear vesicle (dew drop) develops on top of the area of redness. This "dew drop on a rose petal" lesion is very characteristic for Chicken Pox. After about 8-12 hours the fluid in the vesicle gets cloudy and the vesicle breaks leaving a crust. The fluid is highly contagious, but once the lesion crusts over, it is not considered contagious. The crust usually falls off after 7 days sometimes leaving a craterlike scar.
Although one lesion goes through this complete cycle in about 7 days, another hallmark of Chicken Pox is the fact that new lesions crop up every day for several days. Therefore, it may take about a week until new lesions stop appearing and existing lesions crust over.
Second infections with Chicken Pox occur in immunocompetent individuals, but are uncommon and rarely severe.
Vaccination Japan was among the first countries to routinely vaccinate for Chicken Pox. Routine vaccination against varicella zoster virus is also performed in the United States, and the incidence of Chicken Pox has been dramatically reduced from 4 million cases per year in the pre-vaccine era to approximately 400,000 cases per year as of 2005.
The vaccine is exceedingly safe: approximately 5% of children who receive the vaccine develop a fever or rash, but there have been no deaths, as of May 2006, attributable to the vaccine despite more than 40 million doses being administered.
41 of the 50 US states require immunization for children attending government-run schools. The vaccination is not routine in the United Kingdom. Debate continues in the UK on the time when it will be desirable to adopt routine Chicken Pox vaccination, and in the US opinions that it should be dropped, individually, or along with all immunizations, are also voiced.
The CDC and corresponding national organisations are carefully observing the failure rate which may be high compared with other modern vaccines - large outbreaks of Chicken Pox having occurred at schools which required their children to be vaccinated.
Catching wild Chicken Pox as a child has been thought to commonly result in lifelong immunity. Parents have deliberately ensured this in the past with pox parties and similarly for some other diseases such as rubella.
Historically, exposure of adults to contagious children has boosted their immunity, reducing the risk of shingles.
Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as no changes are made, and the entire resource box is included.
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: Chicken Pox, immunization, Chicken Pox immunization children, Chicken Pox in adult, Chicken Pox in child, Chicken Pox in pregnancy
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
This article is Copyright © 2006, Heather Colman. Find more Chicken Pox resources at chicken-pox-journal.info.
|
|
| Top Diseases and Conditions Articles |
- 1). Acid Reflux: What You Really Need To Know. By : Tyson J Stevenson
The formation of gases and acidic substances in the stomach and its backing up into the esophagus causes severe pain or burning sensation in the stomach and chest area that is clinically known as Acid Reflux or Gastroespohageal Reflux Disease.
|
- 2). Alcoholism— What Should I Know About It? By : Geoff Hugh
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism is a disease that affects the part of the brain that controls your feelings, the way you make decisions, and the way you act. People with alcoholism cannot control how much they drink. What causes alcoholism?
Nobody knows what causes alcoholism. People with parents who have alcoholism have a greater chance of getting the disease.
|
- 3). What is Anorexia By : Keith George
Self induced emotional eating disorder characterized by persistent loss of appetite is called anorexia. Excessive consciousness toward weight loss, counting calories and excessive exercises can lead to a severe emotional eating disorder called anorexia.
|
- 4). Alcoholism Disease Or Not? By : The Source
Alcoholism can be given a lot of definitions and all of them stress the fact that there is a terrible disease that involves addiction to spirits. Apart from the physical dependence on alcohol, there are other psychological, genetic and social factors that may play a role in the development of alcoholism. Many social, economic and public health problems are determined by this very serious disease.
|
|
|
- 6). Gastritis Is More Than Indigestion By : Kevin Pederson
It is the inflammation of the stomach getting the defense system on roll. It would mean that the stomach is injured and the white blood cells move on the walls of the stomach for help. The inflammation can be caused due to an infection caused by bacterium which can lead to stomach ulcers. Any other injury can also cause such problems.
|
- 7). The Demonization Of Genital Herpes By : Christopher Scipio
Those of us who have so-called “genital herpes” are caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand we are ostracized by the minority of the population (about 40%) who don’t currently have herpes simplex in their body, which is bad enough, but more cruelly we are often isolated by our fellow members of the herpes community who have so-called cold sores (heroes simplex 1 of the mouth and face).
|
- 8). I am a mouth ulcers By : Ryan Fyfe
Although it's not my favorite thing to be in the world, I am a mouth ulcer. My street name is most commonly: canker sore. I've got a fancy name, and that involves painful open sores that will exist in your mouth when the mucous membrane breaks. You might also choose to call me one of these other names: aphthous stomatitis or aphthous ulcer. Now that we have that out of the way.
|
|
|
- 10). HPV Virus By : Ryan Fyfe
Human Papilloma Ciruses (HPV) is a virus that infects humans. Some of the effects of the virus are associated with sexually transmitted diseases (STD's).
Over one hundred strains of the virus have been identified by Scientists. Most of these strains are harmless. Some of these strains can produce common skin warts which appear on the hands and feet.
|
| New Diseases and Conditions Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 4). Understanding Coeliac Disease By : Anne Wolski
Coeliac disease is a genetic condition that is caused by an inability to digest gluten. Hence the reason that this disease is also known as gluten intolerance.
|
|
|
- 6). Home Remedies For Breast Tenderness By : Kevin Pederson
A problem like breast tenderness may arise due to combination of factors like diet, nutrition, water, weight, age, menstrual cycle and fluctuating hormones. Studies conclude nearly three in four women suffer this discomfort at least once in their mature life.
|
|
|
- 8). Alzheimer’s Disease: What Every Family Needs to Know By : Douglas Hardwick
Alzheimer’s disease touches the lives of millions of Americans. Today, some 4.5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, and 1 in 10 families have a loved one afflicted with it. With no cure in sight, it is important for families to arm themselves with information about this devastating disease.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
