Chickenpox is a common illness among kids, particularly those under age 12. An itchy rash of spots that look like blisters can appear all over the body and may be accompanied by flu-like symptoms. About one of every 100 children infected with chickenpox will develop a severe lung infection (pneumonia), an infection of the brain (encephalitis), or a problem with the liver. Adolescents and adults who develop chickenpox are also at high risk of developing serious complications. After a person has chickenpox, the virus typically lives silently in the nervous system of the body for the rest of a person's life. It may reactivate (come to life again) at any time when the body's immune defenses are weakened by stress or illness (such as cancer or HIV infection) or by medications that weaken the immune system.
Later in life, viruses remaining dormant in the nerves can reactivate causing localised eruptions of shingles. This occurs particularly in people with compromised immune systems, such as the elderly, and perhaps even those suffering sunburn. Unlike chickenpox which normally fully settles, shingles may result in persisting post-herpetic neuralgia pain.
Causes of Chicken Pox
Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It can spread easily. You can get it from an infected person who sneezes, coughs, or shares food or drinks. You can also get it if you touch the fluid from a chickenpox blister.
A person who has chickenpox can spread the virus even before he or she has any symptoms. Chickenpox is most easily spread from 2 to 3 days before the rash appears until all the blisters have crusted over.
Symptoms of Chicken Pox
# A rash that usually begins on the body and face and later often spreads to the scalp and limbs. # It may also spread to the mucous membranes especially in the mouth and on the genitals. # The rash is often itchy. # It begins as small red spots which develop into blisters in a couple of hours. # After one or two days, the blisters turn into scabs. # New blisters may appear after three to six days. # The number of blisters differs greatly from one person to another.
Is there a treatment for chickenpox?
In 1992, acyclovir was approved by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of chickenpox in healthy children. However, because chickenpox tends to be mild in healthy children, most physicians do not feel that it is necessary to prescribe acyclovir.
Taking good care of the skin and not itching may prevent infections that can be caused by bacteria that get into the skin. Your doctor may recommend a cream to help reduce the itch.
Can you catch chickenpox again once you have had it?
In most cases, getting chickenpox once means you will not get it again. This is called life-long immunity. But in rare cases, a person might get it again.
A highly contagious disease it an be easily spread through air or touch between members of the same family, kids at school and even at your place of job. The most contagious time of chickenpox is up to 5 days (more commonly, 1 to 2 days) before and 5 days after the date that their rash appears. After the crusts on the blisters or sores have fallen off its considered safe.
The majority of us have the disease by the time we are 15 although the most common age is between 5 and 9; this doesn't stop the fact that anyone can have it. Winter and spring are usually the times of year when chickenpox is most likely to strike.
Usually symptoms appear in the pacient after the person has come into contact with another carrier? anywhere from 10 to 21 days, although the most common period is 14 to 16 days from the exposure time. General weakness and rashes are the first signs that the person might have contracted the disease and even mild fever up to 102 degrees F for 1 or 2 days. It is very rare the fact that a person may present different symptoms without the rash, one of the tail-tail signs of the disease. The rash usually starts as small red points appearing on the pacient's skin, points that afterwards progress to blisters filed with a clear fluid. Eventually this fluid will become cloudy turning to pus and even bursting, this way creating open spores before the crusting period begins. Starting from the scalp the course of the blisters follows the chest the abdomen and then the extremities of the body meaning the hands and feet? you can even have blisters on the palm of your hands and feet making the daily life a bit troublesome
Typically very itchy the rash becomes even more aggravated if it comes into contact with different irritants ( by diaper rash, poison ivy, eczema, sunburn, etc.).
Scarring is one of the most typical complications of chickenpox, avoidable if the pacient wouldn't scratch or if it could prevent coming into contact with different bacteria that may cause infection. A disorder of the cerebellar portion of the brain (cerebellar ataxia with wobbliness, dizziness, tremor, and altered speech) is the nest most common complication, mostly in children; it can even lead to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain with headaches, seizures, and decreased consciousness), damaged nerves (nerve palsies) and Reye's syndrome (a potentially fatal combination of liver and brain disease). Suffering already from a different disease is not a god thing complications in this case being even worse. A real tragic fact is if that a pregnant mother develops the disease from 5 days before to 2 days after delivery, the fatality rate for the baby is up to 30%.
Both Richard Bean & Groshan Fabiola are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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