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Chicken Pox: Sign, Symptoms and PreventionChicken pox is one of the most common childhood diseases. Direct contact or airborne transmission makes it a highly contagious disease and it is caused by a virus called varicella-zoster, it in a virus in the Herpes Family so fluid like blisters will develop on those affected by the disease. The face, arms, legs, torso, eyelids, vaginal area, mouth and scalp can be effected by the blisters. The blisters are itchy and may burst to form a crust like scab that shows they are healing. Signs and Symptoms of Chicken PoxThe primarily signs and symptoms of chicken pox include cold like symptoms, headache, fever, stomach ache and loss of appetite. Prior to the development of a rash these symptoms will occur one to two days earlier and last about two to four days after the rashes become visible. After a day or two new blisters will begin to develop while the previous blisters begin to look like sores. Ten to twenty-one days after a child becomes infected the blisters will develop and one to two days before a child breaks out they become contagious and continue to be contagious until the blisters turn to a crust. Other child should not be exposed to those in these stages of the disease. Scratching the sores will leave terrible scars and bacteria can contaminate the child. The situation will also become more intolerable and uncomfortable while can prolong the healing process for the child. About 250 to 500 small blisters will develop on the skin with red spots for the average child. Blisters on the scalp is the most common area and used to confirm that the child has the disease. An average of 1,500 blisters will develop on children who have eczema, sunburn or other skin problems. Adults can contract the disease as well, it is not only common in children. Herpes-zoster develops into shingles in adults and those who contract the disease typically have a longer recovery time than children. To relieve the complication of the disease a Chicken pox vaccine was created in 1965. It dose not prevent or cure the chicken pox from occurring but it will minimize the number of cases. With the vaccine cases are milder and occur more quickly. Opposed to hundreds of blisters over only a few dozen will appear and the healing time is less. However, a child still remains highly contagious. If you recognize the signs of chicken pox you should get medical treatment right away even though serious complications are rare. Spots appear on the face, trunk and limbs about a fortnight after the infection has started and this soon turn to blisters that are watery and surrounded by a red area on the skin. Chicken pox also has a body ache, fever and itching. Scabs are formed in the next few days and start to fall off. The Transmission of Chicken PoxChildren the age of ten and younger are the average for those who develop Chicken pox. If mothers have not had chicken pox then children under the age of one may not catch the disease and if they do it is often a mild case since they have partial immunity from their mother’s blood. Although children who have mothers that have no had chicken pox can still develop a severe case of chicken pox. Children who have taken steroids in relation to asthma treatment often have the worse case scenarios for the chicken pox disease. In addition, those who have an illness, medicine or treatment such as Chemotherapy will have a more severe case. The virus will remain in your body for a lifetime once you have been exposed to chicken pox and the disease remains controlled by your immune system. The virus will only reemerge in about ten percent of adults as the shingles. If it reemerges it will be during periods of life that have stress. Chicken Pox and Its ComplicationsThe chicken pox disease has many serious complications. Do not give a child aspirin unless prescribed by your child’s physician if they have a viral illness since it can lead to encephalitis called Reye Syndrome, this is often serious and deadly. Other complications associated with chicken pox include pneumonia, myocarditis and transient arthritis but these are rare cases. Cerebellar Ataxia is another common but rare disease that has symptoms of unsteady walk, affecting a persons equilibrium. With this disease a secondary infection from the blisters can occur and the child will get an itching like chicken pox that will lead to scarring if the tissue is scratched. A high risk of infection can occur with maternity women and newborns who are exposed to chicken pox. Congenital infection is a risk for maternity women during their pregnancy and their fetus. Severe infection can result if newborns are exposed to the disease and their mothers are not immune. Ways to Prevent Chicken PoxThe chicken pox disease can be contracted in many ways. Someone can catch the virus if there is a person in the next carriage of a train or the next aisle of the supermarket with the disease. It is very common for someone to contract the disease since it is an airborne virus and many don’t recognize the symptoms of the disease prior to the appearance of the rash which is when the disease is the most contagious. Immunization with the chicken pox vaccine is one way to prevent a child from being exposed to chicken pox. Against moderate to severe cases the vaccine is one hundred percent effective and with mild cases of the disease it is eighty-five to ninety percent effective. A child is immune to chicken pox if they are vaccinated with the fresh serum and then revaccinated every year to three years. All members of the family should be vaccinated and the child should be admitted to the infectious diseases hospital. You only need to be immunized once in a lifetime with the routine chicken pox vaccine although a higher dose is given to adult to reduce their exposure to the shingles virus known as herpes zoster. After a child has been exposed to the disease the vaccination should be given to reduce its severity. The municipal authorities should be informed at the earliest possible opportunity if there is a case of the disease in the neighborhood. Isolate the child and her clothes in a room that is thoroughly disinfected if you cannot take them to the hospital. Smear vasaline over the scabs when the eruptions start drying. To prevent swarting sensation in the eyes wash them with cool boric acid solution. Take two tablespoons of soda bicarbonate and mix in a bucket of water to relieve the itching. The child should be immersed in this every day for five to six minutes. A salt free diet should be given to the child since salt causes more itching. There is likelihood of secondary infection if the child scratches the spots so you should make sure they don’t scratch them. Scratching the blisters will results in pock marks. There is a low risk of marks left from the disease if you allow them to dry and fall off on their own. Use a piece of paper to collect all the scabs and then bury them deep in the earth. Hot things such as cardamoms and ginger should not be given to a child with chicken pox. Rather you should give them cooling foods like curds, bananas and oranges. You should bath your child two times in hot water and carbolic soap once they recover before they are allowed to mix with other kids. |
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