Information About Chicken Pox
Chickenpox is an illness caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV). Once a very common childhood illness, this highly contagious disease is no longer as prevalent due to a preventive vaccine that became available in 1995. A physician should be consulted if chickenpox is suspected.-
Mode of Transmission
-
Highly infectious, chickenpox can spread from person to person easily, including from contact with fluid from the blisters. Transmission can also occur via an infected person's coughing and sneezing.
Contagious Period
-
A person with chickenpox is infectious one to five days before any rash or blisters appear, and the contagious period then extends another five to 10 days. From time of exposure, it can take up to three weeks for an infected individual to exhibit any symptoms.
Pockmarks
-
The classic symptom of chickenpox is an itchy rash in the form of small blisters, beginning on the upper torso and head before spreading to the rest of the body. Some blisters become open pockmarks and can lead to scarring if not left alone to heal.
Other Symptoms
-
A case of chickenpox can also be accompanied by flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, sore throat and headache. Symptoms are most severe in young babies, adults and people with compromised immune systems, with the highest risk of complications affecting the unborn.
Prevention and Treatment
-
Persons who have had chicken pox are generally considered immune to future infection, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone receive the chickenpox vaccine, with the exception of pregnant women. Once contracted, the only recommended treatment for chickenpox is time, unless complications occur. However, conventional symptomatic remedies, such as fever reducers and calamine lotion, may be used.
-