Chicken pox is a common infection caused by the varicella virus. This gallery shows pictures of chicken pox lesions in various stages and on different types of skin.There is a risk of developing shingles after getting the chicken pox vaccination but that risk is very low. A recent study showed that children who received the vaccination later were at a higher risk of developing shingles.
The first chicken pox vaccine is normally given after a child's first birthday, and the second vaccination is given between 4 and 6 years old. The second vaccination can actually be given 3 months after the first.
The study also showed that children with asthma and developmental disorders were also at a higher risk of developing shingles.
Since wide-spread vaccination began in the mid-1990's, the incidence of chicken pox has decreased dramatically. Varivax is the live-virus vaccine that produces persistent immunity against chicken pox. The virus used for the vaccine is known as the Oka strain. It is an attenuated strain meaning it is much weaker than naturally occurring varicella. This weaker virus infects the cells and replicates in the bloodstream causing the immune system to develop antibodies to fight it off. In most cases this infection is subclinical, meaning it does not produce symptoms. If a vaccinated person gets chicken pox, the disease is mild 95% of the time. The length of time these antibodies stay effective is controversial, but it appears that vaccination does confer long-lasting immunity.
The side effects of the chicken pox vaccine are usually mild and include:
Low-grade fever
Mild discomfort at the vaccination site
A limited rash at the vaccination site (about 3-5 lesions)
Who Should Get the Chicken Pox Vaccine
The chicken pox vaccine is recommended for all children between the ages of 18 months and adolescence who have not yet had chicken pox. Studies have also shown that the vaccine can prevent chicken pox or reduce the severity of the illness if it is given with 3-5 days of exposure to an infected person. Some experts recommend that any healthy adult who does not have a known history of chicken pox infection be vaccinated. Some studies also show that the chicken pox vaccine may prevent or reduce the severity of shingles in adults over 55 years of age who had a childhood bout of chicken pox.
Who Should NOT Get the Chicken Pox Vaccine
Because the chicken pox vaccine contains a live virus it is not recommended for the people with the following:
Pregnant women
History of previous chicken pox infection
Compromised immune system
Exposure to the varicella virus less than 21 days previously
Allergy to neomycin
Transfusion of IgG or other blood products within the past 5 months
Administration of aspirin or aspirin-containing products within the past 6 weeks
Chicken Pox Vaccine Controversies
Certain aspects of vaccination for chicken pox are either unknown or are under study. The two controversial aspects are vaccination of infants and the need for booster shots. Currently there are no recommendations or studies on infants who develop chicken pox during the first year of life. In older patients booster shots may be needed to maintain adequate levels of antibodies to prevent shingles.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Chicken Pox and its Stages
Chickenpox mostly affects children and is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Later in life the same virus can cause Herpes Zoster. Humans are the only carriers of this virus.
Chicken Pox is also known as Varicella is an acute and highly contagious disease. People who have never had chickenpox can get infected just by being in a room with someone who has the disease. If one member in the family gets chickenpox, he usually will infect another family member unless precautions are taken.
A person who gets infected will take 14 to 21 days before the chickenpox rash starts appearing on him. Once infected the person can infect another person from up to 48 hours before the initial rash and remains infective until all the blisters have burst all the crusts have disappeared. The chickenpox from an infected person spreads by -
Airborne droplets that are spayed when they cough or sneeze
Direct contact with discharge from the blisters of the skiComing in contact with Herpes or Shingles infection The most common cause of infection is through the respiratory droplets that are inhaled by another person.
Everyone who has not had the disease is at risk of getting it; if they come in contact with an infected person. It affects all races and both sexes are equally prone to it.
This viral disease is characterized by dry itching (pruritus) and a skin rash with fluid-filled blisters that burst and form crusts. The onset of the chickenpox rash may be preceded by a day of mild fever and weakness. The infectious period lasts from about three days before the rash appears until all the blisters have formed scabs.
Chicken Pox and its Stages
Most children have been infected with the virus by the age of 10. After infection, lifelong immunity against recurrent infection is usually present.
The Varicella Zoster virus of chickenpox can also cause 'Herpes Zoster or Shingles.' Normally once the chickenpox infection settles down the virus rests in the roots of the ganglia next to the spinal cord and becomes dormant or inactive. However sometimes the virus may suddenly later in life decide to become active again and can cause the painful lesions of Shingles.
These pocks break out in many without any illness or previous sign: in others they are preceded by a little degree of chillness, lassitude, cough, disturbed sleep, wandering pains, loss of appetite, and feverishness for three days. On the first day of the eruption they are reddish. On the second day there is at the top of most of the a very small bladder, about the size of a millet-seed.
Chicken Pox is also known as Varicella is an acute and highly contagious disease. People who have never had chickenpox can get infected just by being in a room with someone who has the disease. If one member in the family gets chickenpox, he usually will infect another family member unless precautions are taken.
A person who gets infected will take 14 to 21 days before the chickenpox rash starts appearing on him. Once infected the person can infect another person from up to 48 hours before the initial rash and remains infective until all the blisters have burst all the crusts have disappeared. The chickenpox from an infected person spreads by -
Airborne droplets that are spayed when they cough or sneeze
Direct contact with discharge from the blisters of the skiComing in contact with Herpes or Shingles infection The most common cause of infection is through the respiratory droplets that are inhaled by another person.
Everyone who has not had the disease is at risk of getting it; if they come in contact with an infected person. It affects all races and both sexes are equally prone to it.
This viral disease is characterized by dry itching (pruritus) and a skin rash with fluid-filled blisters that burst and form crusts. The onset of the chickenpox rash may be preceded by a day of mild fever and weakness. The infectious period lasts from about three days before the rash appears until all the blisters have formed scabs.
Chicken Pox and its Stages
Most children have been infected with the virus by the age of 10. After infection, lifelong immunity against recurrent infection is usually present.
The Varicella Zoster virus of chickenpox can also cause 'Herpes Zoster or Shingles.' Normally once the chickenpox infection settles down the virus rests in the roots of the ganglia next to the spinal cord and becomes dormant or inactive. However sometimes the virus may suddenly later in life decide to become active again and can cause the painful lesions of Shingles.
These pocks break out in many without any illness or previous sign: in others they are preceded by a little degree of chillness, lassitude, cough, disturbed sleep, wandering pains, loss of appetite, and feverishness for three days. On the first day of the eruption they are reddish. On the second day there is at the top of most of the a very small bladder, about the size of a millet-seed.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Child is infected with chicken pox.
The most contagious time occurs when the person is manifesting the cold-like symptoms. This happens usually two to five days before the rash appears. As a result the time in which someone is most contagious occurs before the person even knows he has chicken pox. After the rash appears, the person is infectious for about five days or until all the lesions have begun crusting over.
Humans are the only animals that get chicken pox. So the only way to catch it is by being around a person who is infected. The virus is spread through secretions and by tiny droplets, so sharing saliva, sneezing, and coughing are good ways to pass the virus from one person to another.
Children with immune problems can have significant problems if infected with chicken pox. These include those children infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, those with cancer, those on steroids for other illnesses, and newborn babies.
There is not a lot that can be done to completely eliminate the symptoms once a child is infected with chicken pox. Most treatment is then aimed at trying to alleviate the pain, itch, and fever associated with chicken pox.
Humans are the only animals that get chicken pox. So the only way to catch it is by being around a person who is infected. The virus is spread through secretions and by tiny droplets, so sharing saliva, sneezing, and coughing are good ways to pass the virus from one person to another.
Children with immune problems can have significant problems if infected with chicken pox. These include those children infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, those with cancer, those on steroids for other illnesses, and newborn babies.
There is not a lot that can be done to completely eliminate the symptoms once a child is infected with chicken pox. Most treatment is then aimed at trying to alleviate the pain, itch, and fever associated with chicken pox.
The "pocks" of chicken-pox.
Chicken-pox is also usually a mild disease which, however, may be quite alarming in the early stages because it may be mistaken for smallpox. Besides that, the early symptoms of headache and pain in the back are extremely severe, and make the patient and parents think that a far graver disease is present.
The "pocks" of chicken-pox are widely scattered on the body, and are more liable to be present on the chest and back and abdomen than they are on the hands, feet and head, which latter distribution is characteristic of smallpox. However, few patients with chicken-pox escape a few pocks on the face, and almost invariably these leave slight scars. In fact, chicken-pox is more liable to leave a depressed scar than smallpox, and so far as I know, there is no way to prevent this scarring.
So far as treatment is concerned, chicken-pox needs little consideration. The disease is self-limited and the treatment is of slight importance. The patient need be kept in bed only about 24 hours, and aside from a light catharsis, the only treatment required is usually local treatment of the pocks. These should be softened with vaseline or some similar substance, and by all odds the patient should be kept from scratching them when they are healing. It is very difficult to prevent this because itching is frequently marked and very distressing.
Calomine or zinc oxide lotion have been recommended to stop this. Scratching these pocks almost invariably results in scarring.
The quarantine for chicken-pox is not very rigidly enforced, and quite properly so. Most school authorities allow children with chicken-pox to return to school 24 hours after the pocks have healed.
The disease is one of the most contagious in the world, but so mild that attempts to prevent epidemics are hardly worth the trouble that they require. In fact, all such attempts are usually entirely fruitless.
The "pocks" of chicken-pox are widely scattered on the body, and are more liable to be present on the chest and back and abdomen than they are on the hands, feet and head, which latter distribution is characteristic of smallpox. However, few patients with chicken-pox escape a few pocks on the face, and almost invariably these leave slight scars. In fact, chicken-pox is more liable to leave a depressed scar than smallpox, and so far as I know, there is no way to prevent this scarring.
So far as treatment is concerned, chicken-pox needs little consideration. The disease is self-limited and the treatment is of slight importance. The patient need be kept in bed only about 24 hours, and aside from a light catharsis, the only treatment required is usually local treatment of the pocks. These should be softened with vaseline or some similar substance, and by all odds the patient should be kept from scratching them when they are healing. It is very difficult to prevent this because itching is frequently marked and very distressing.
Calomine or zinc oxide lotion have been recommended to stop this. Scratching these pocks almost invariably results in scarring.
The quarantine for chicken-pox is not very rigidly enforced, and quite properly so. Most school authorities allow children with chicken-pox to return to school 24 hours after the pocks have healed.
The disease is one of the most contagious in the world, but so mild that attempts to prevent epidemics are hardly worth the trouble that they require. In fact, all such attempts are usually entirely fruitless.
Prognosis.Prevention.
Most cases of chickenpox run their course within a week without causing lasting harm. However, there is one long-term consequence of chickenpox that strikes about 20% of the population, particularly people 50 and older. Like all herpes viruses, the varicellazoster virus never leaves the body after an episode of chickenpox, but lies dormant in the nerve cells, where it may be reactivated years later by disease or age-related weakening of the immune system. The result is shingles (also called herpes zoster), a painful nerve inflammation, accompanied by a rash, that usually affects the trunk or the face for 10 days or more. Especially in the elderly, pain, called postherpetic neuralgia, may persist at the site of the shingles for months or years. Two relatively newer drugs for treatment of shingles have become available. Both valacy-clovir (Valtrex) and famciclovir (Famvir) stop the replication of herpes zoster when administered within 72 hours of appearance of the rash. The effectiveness of these two drugs in immunocompromised patients has not been established, and Famvir was not recommended for patients under 18 years.
A substance known as varicella-zoster immune globulin (VZIG), which reduces the severity of chickenpox symptoms, is available to treat immunocompromised children and others at high risk of developing complications. It is administered by injection within 96 hours of known or suspected exposure to the disease and is not useful after that. VZIG is produced as a gamma globulin from blood of recently infected individuals.
A substance known as varicella-zoster immune globulin (VZIG), which reduces the severity of chickenpox symptoms, is available to treat immunocompromised children and others at high risk of developing complications. It is administered by injection within 96 hours of known or suspected exposure to the disease and is not useful after that. VZIG is produced as a gamma globulin from blood of recently infected individuals.
Alternative treatment,practitioners.
Alternative practitioners seek to lessen the discomfort and fever caused by chickenpox. Like other practitioners, they suggest cool or lukewarm baths. Rolled oats (Avena sativa) in the bath water help relieve itching. (Oats should be placed in a sock, that is turned in the bath water to release the milky antiitch properties.) Other recommended remedies for itching include applying aloe vera, witch hazel, or herbal preparations of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) and calendula (Calendual officinalis) to the blisters. Homeopathic remedies are selected on a case by case basis. Some common remedy choices are tartar emetic (antimonium tartaricum), windflower (pulsatilla),
Treatment
With children, treatment usually takes place in the home and focuses on reducing discomfort and fever. Because chickenpox is a viral disease, antibiotics are ineffective against it.
Applying wet compresses or bathing the child in cool or lukewarm water once a day can help the itch. Adding four to eight ounces of baking soda or one or two cups of oatmeal to the bath is a good idea (oatmeal bath packets are sold by pharmacies). Only mild soap should be used in the bath. Patting, not rubbing, is recommended for drying the child off, to prevent irritating the blisters. Calamine lotion (and some other kinds of lotions) also help to reduce itchiness. Because scratching can cause blisters to become infected and lead to scarring, the child's nails should be cut short. Of course, older children need to be warned not to scratch. For babies, light mittens or socks on the hands can help guard against scratching.
If mouth blisters make eating or drinking an unpleasant experience, cold drinks and soft, bland foods can ease the child's discomfort. Painful genital blisters can be treated with an anesthetic cream recommended by a doctor or pharmacist. Antibiotics often are prescribed if blisters become infected.
Fever and discomfort can be reduced by acetaminophen or another medication that does not contain aspirin. Aspirin and any medications that contain aspirin or other salicylates must not be used with chickenpox, for they appear to increase the chances of developing Reye's syndrome. The best idea is to consult a doctor or pharmacist if unsure about which medications are safe.
Immunocompromised chickenpox sufferers are sometimes given an antiviral drug called acyclovir (Zovirax). Studies have shown that Zovirax also lessens the symptoms of otherwise healthy children and adults who contract chickenpox, but the suggestion that it should be used to treat the disease among the general population, especially in children, is controversial.
Applying wet compresses or bathing the child in cool or lukewarm water once a day can help the itch. Adding four to eight ounces of baking soda or one or two cups of oatmeal to the bath is a good idea (oatmeal bath packets are sold by pharmacies). Only mild soap should be used in the bath. Patting, not rubbing, is recommended for drying the child off, to prevent irritating the blisters. Calamine lotion (and some other kinds of lotions) also help to reduce itchiness. Because scratching can cause blisters to become infected and lead to scarring, the child's nails should be cut short. Of course, older children need to be warned not to scratch. For babies, light mittens or socks on the hands can help guard against scratching.
If mouth blisters make eating or drinking an unpleasant experience, cold drinks and soft, bland foods can ease the child's discomfort. Painful genital blisters can be treated with an anesthetic cream recommended by a doctor or pharmacist. Antibiotics often are prescribed if blisters become infected.
Fever and discomfort can be reduced by acetaminophen or another medication that does not contain aspirin. Aspirin and any medications that contain aspirin or other salicylates must not be used with chickenpox, for they appear to increase the chances of developing Reye's syndrome. The best idea is to consult a doctor or pharmacist if unsure about which medications are safe.
Immunocompromised chickenpox sufferers are sometimes given an antiviral drug called acyclovir (Zovirax). Studies have shown that Zovirax also lessens the symptoms of otherwise healthy children and adults who contract chickenpox, but the suggestion that it should be used to treat the disease among the general population, especially in children, is controversial.
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