Chickenpox has been an existing disease for more than 25 years. It keeps ravaging humans. Though many people do not know the cause. This is why we have made this guide to inform you about the causes of chickenpox, and the possible prevention. Read through this guide with keen eyes to get the main points.
What is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is an infection that causes a skin rash. The disease is caused by a germ called the varicella-zoster virus. (Chickenpox itself is also called varicella-zoster.) Most people will get the virus when they’re young if they haven’t had a chickenpox vaccine.
A child with chickenpox can easily give the virus to other children. Chickenpox today is much less common because most children are vaccinated when they are young. Before the first vaccine against chickenpox was approved in the U.S. in 1995, almost everyone got chickenpox. Very few had complications.
Once you’ve had chickenpox, you won’t catch it again from another person. If you’re not vaccinated, you can get chickenpox at any age. Adults who get chickenpox may become very sick, so it’s better to have chickenpox when you’re a child or prevent getting it by being vaccinated.
Stages of chickenpox
Chickenpox develops in stages. Before the rash appears, there may be:
- fatigue or a general feeling of being unwell (malaise)
- fever that lasts 3-5 days and is usually less than 102 °F (39 °C ).
- loss of appetite
- Muscle or joint aches
- cold-like symptoms such as a cough or runny nose
- headache
Symptoms
The itchy blister rash caused by chickenpox infection appears 10 to 21 days after exposure to the virus and usually lasts about five to 10 days. Other sigand symptoms, which may appear one to two days before the rash, include:
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Headache
- Tiredness and a general feeling of being unwell (malaise)
Once the chickenpox rash appears, it goes through three phases:
- Raised pink or red bumps (papules), which break out over several days
- Small fluid-filled blisters (vesicles), form in about one day and then break and leak
- Crusts and scabs, which cover the broken blisters and take several more days to heal
New bumps continue to appear for several days, so you may have all three stages of the rash — bumps, blisters, and scabbed lesio— at the same time. You can spread the virus to other people for up to 48 hours before the rash appears, and the virus remaicontagious until all broken blisters have crusted over.
The disease is generally mild in healthy children. In severe cases, the rash can cover the entire body, and lesiomay form in the throat, eyes, and mucous membranes of the urethra, anus, and vagina.
Causes and Risk Factors of Chickenpox
Chickenpox is caused by a virus called the varicella-zoster virus.
The disease spreads in two ways:
- By breathing in air droplets containing the chickenpox virus (from a person with chickenpox who coughs or sneezes)
- Through direct contact with a chickenpox rash
You’re at high risk for chickenpox in these situatioonly if you’ve never had the disease or if you haven’t been vaccinated for it. Having the disease or getting vaccinated usually gives you immunity for life.
Most people get chickenpox through close contact with someone else who has the infection. Chickenpox is contagious starting one to two days before a rash develops until all the blisters have crusted or turned into scabs. If the lesiodo not turn into scabs, you are considered contagious until no new lesiohave developed for 24 hours.
It’s also possible to get chickenpox from someone with shingles (herpes zoster), a viral infection that occurs when the chickenpox virus, which remaidormant (inactive) in the body after the illness has resolved, reactivates later in life, causing a blistering rash that can be extremely painful.
In the rare situation that you’ve been vaccinated for chickenpox but still get the disease, you can pass on your infection to other people — despite the likelihood that your symptoms will be mild.
There have been cases in which someone gets chickenpox more than once, but this is extremely rare.
Risk Factors
While serious complicatioof chickenpox are rare in healthy people, the disease can cause more dangerous secondary infections, brain infectioor swelling, or even death.
Infants, adolescents, adults, pregnant women, and people with a weakened immune system due to illness or medicatioare at the highest risk for chickenpox complications.
Who is at risk of developing chicken pox?
Exposure to the virus through previous active infection or vaccination reduces risk. Immunity from the virus can be passed on from a mother to her newborn. Immunity lasts about three months from birth.
Anyone who has not been exposed may contract the virus. Risk increases under any of these conditions:
- You have had recent contact with an infected person.
- You are under 12 years of age.
- You are an adult living with children.
- You have spent time in a school or childcare facility.
- Your immune system is compromised due to illness or medications.
What is the difference between smallpox and chickenpox?
Chickenpox and smallpox are both diseases that produce rashes on the skin, but they are different. For one thing, smallpox is a much more serious disease, causing severe illness and death. They are caused by different viruses.
While the two diseases both produce rashes, the rashes themselves develop at different times and the rashes look different. Smallpox pustules look the same as each other, while the chickenpox rash develops in waves. The individual spots don’t look the same and some form scabs while others are still blistering.
There’s another important difference. A massive global vaccination program has eradicated (wiped out) smallpox.
How is chickenpox diagnosed?
You should always call your doctor any time you develop an unexplained rash, especially if it’s accompanied by cold symptoms or fever. One of several viruses or infectiocould be affecting you. Tell your doctor right away if you are pregnant and have been exposed to chickenpox.
Your doctor may be able to diagnose chickenpox based on a physical exam of blisters on your or your child’s body. Or, lab tests can confirm the cause of the blisters.
Treatment
There is no cure for chickenpox, but it generally resolves within a week or two without treatment.
A doctor may prescribe medication or advise on how to reduce symptoms of itchiness and discomfort, and also on how to prevent transmission of the infection.
The following are some treatments that may alleviate symptoms:
- Pain-relieving drugs: Tylenol (acetaminophen) may help reduce high fever and pain when a person has chickenpox. But it is important to follow the instructioprovided by the manufacturer and the person’s doctor. People should not use aspirin-containing products to treat chickenpox, as this can lead to complications. People should also avoid ibuprofen, as it could increase the risk of strep throat.
- Avoiding dehydration: It is important to drink plenty of fluids, preferably water, to prevent dehydration, which can be a complication of chickenpox.
- Sugar-free popsicles: These can help ease symptoms of mouth soreness if there are spots in the mouth. Avoid salty or spicy foods. If chewing is painful, soup might be a good option, as long as it is not too hot.
- Reduce itching: Itching can become severe, but it is important to minimize scratching to reduce the risk of scarring. Things that can help include topical ointments, cool baths, or oral Benadryl tablets.
The following may also help prevent scratching:
- keeping fingernails clean and as short as possible
- placing mitteor even socks over a child’s hands when they go to sleep so that any attempt at scratching during the night does not cut the skin
- wearing loose clothing
Prevention
The chickenpox (varicella) vaccine is the best way to prevent chickenpox. Experts from the CDC estimate that the vaccine provides complete protection from the virus for nearly 98% of people who receive both of the recommended doses. When the vaccine doesn’t provide complete protection, it significantly lessethe severity of chickenpox.
The chickenpox vaccine (Varivax) is recommended for:
- Young children. In the United States, children receive two doses of the varicella vaccine — the first between ages 12 and 15 months and the second between ages 4 and 6 years — as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule.
- The vaccine can be combined with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, but for some children between the ages of 12 and 23 months, the combination may increase the risk of fever and seizure from the vaccine. Discuss the pros and coof combining the vaccines with your child’s doctor.
- Unvaccinated older children. Children ages 7 to 12 years who haven’t been vaccinated should receive two catch-up doses of the varicella vaccine, given at least three months apart. Children age 13 or older who haven’t been vaccinated should also receive two catch-up doses of the vaccine, given at least four weeks apart.
- Unvaccinated adults who’ve never had chickenpox and are at high risk of exposure. This includes healthcare workers, teachers, childcare employees, international travelers, military personnel, adults who live with young children, and all women of childbearing age.
Adults who’ve never had chickenpox or been vaccinated usually receive two doses of the vaccine, four to eight weeks apart. If you don’t remember whether you’ve had chickenpox or the vaccine, a blood test can determine your immunity.
The chickenpox vaccine isn’t approved for:
- Pregnant women
- People who have weakened immune systems, such as those who are infected with HIV, or people who are taking immune-suppressing medications
- People who are allergic to gelatin or the antibiotic neomycin
Conclusion
To conclude, Chickenpox is a contagious illness caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that causes a highly itchy rash. Historically, most people have gotten it in childhood. If people get it as adults, they may be at risk for more serious symptoms and complications.