Chickenpox is very dangerous infections which is caused by virus. The name of the virus is varicella-zoster virus. Varicella zoster virus is known as human herpes virus 3.it is actually among the one of the nine virus that infect humans. This virus is transmitted through respiratory tract. Virus is transmitted through person to person by respiratory tract and infect each other. This infections may also spread from the inhalation of aerosol from the skin of lesion fluids.
This virus mainly effect the children and adults also. In this infection super itchy skin rash with red blisters are formed. After some days these blisters pop out and start to leak .After these blisters crust and scab before to reach final healing. Chickenpox symptoms start to appear after 10 to 12 days after virus enter on your body. Many people get recover within 2 weeks.
Generally chickenpox is mild and mostly in children. The blisters which appears in chickenpox are spread to patient’s nose, genitals region and even eyes. Chickenpox mostly effect the children of under age 2 years Normally 90 percent cases are reported in young children. But also effected adult and older kids if children had virus before it or vaccinated for it. The more chance to be effected by chickenpox if you lived with children or work at child care center.
Incubation period:
Incubation period for varicella-zoster is 14 to 16 days after the entering of varicella-zoster virus in body or its exposure with the range of 10 to 2q days prolonged. The first symptoms that appear within 1 and 2 days before the rash appears are fever and Malaysia in mostly adult’s .the rash is the first symptoms of chickenpox.
Chickenpox spread form children to others:
If you child get infections of chickenpox then the chance to spread other members of the family are more in which immune system is weak .the weak member of Household get infections rapidly. The signs or symptoms in weak immune system person appear after 2 to 3 weeks later the first member of the family got it. For the members or children who has weak immune system must be concern and require checkup from Dr.
Chickenpox spread ways:
It spread very easily. Children get infected by chickenpox by breathing the particles which come from blisters and touch the surface which have particles landed. Chickenpox is very painful irritating and contagious in starting day 1 and 2 before rash appears on the skin and until the blisters get dried and crusted. Best way for the prevention of chickenpox virus get varicella vaccine. Children take two dozen of the vaccine if they never get chickenpox. They take vaccine first at the age of 12 to 15 months of age or the second doze at the age of 4 to 6 years. Children who have 13 years and not get vaccine they must be take two doze of vaccine at 28 days difference.
Worst day with chickenpox:
The starting few days are worst for patients of chickenpox. Chickenpox start itching before the crusting of blister and make scabs .normally first 5 to 6 days are more worst and painful and provide more discomfort for patients. The reason of more itching is that the blisters when filled with liquid they start to release chemicals that make skin feel irritation.
Complications:
In adults the chance of complication is more than children about chickenpox. The people who has week immune system, HIV, cancer or some other condition have more chance of get Complications by this virus.
When u have chickenpox then varicella-zoster virus will remain in your nerve cells for many years and cause later many problems and wake up and become active after many years again and produce a condition known as shingles in which painful blisters formed on the skin.
Serious complications:
Hemorrhagic problems occur such as bleeding. By bleeding inside the brain cause major problems and increase the pressure inside the brain. Encephalitis occur. It is condition in which brain swelling occur. By this swelling pressure inside brain is increased and cause problems such as fever, loss of consciousness, neck stiffness, and movement disorders. Sometimes it produce a condition known as cerebellar ataxia by infections. In this condition patient loss his balance during movement and ataxia gate is present in these patients. Pneumonia occur in which infections of lungs occur and cause serious issues in breathing. Pneumonia is severe complications of chickenpox and leads to death on some old age children. Sometimes bacterial infections on the skin of children and soft tissues occur the mostly streptococcal infections occur and effect the children badly. Lungs, liver and brain are mostly get infected by chickenpox. The severity and illness is more in adult which has weak immune system then children and virus remain in their nerve cells. Toxic shock syndrome. This condition is rare but life threating because in this condition bacteria produce toxin inside the body and cause death of patient. Dehydration occur during this.
- Severe Sepsis occur which produce infections and lead to bleeding and pus discharging.
- Reye’s syndrome occur if children take aspirin when infected with chickenpox virus.
- Urination is low then normal. Sometimes do not go for pee whole day.
- Muscle pain or etchings.
- Vomiting and nausea.
- Problems in speech.
- Confusion and disappointment state of brain is occur. Severe breathlessness.
- Faint and dizzy.
Symptoms:
Chickenpox typically appear after 10 to 21 days when virus enter in the body .firstly patients feeling not comfortable and unwell. There are following symptoms given:
- Loss of appetite.
- Temperature or fever.
- Body aches.
- Tiredness or fatigue.
- Headache.
- Irritable feelings.
- Normally within 2 days rashes develop on the skin.
In first step patient develop itchy, raised, red pumps or pink pumps. These pumps are known as papules. Generally 250 to 500 rashes pop up all over the body .sometimes they spread to your mouth, eyes, anus or genitals then after few days
Then after several days bump change into small fluid filled blisters called vesicles .After this these blisters pop out and start leaking.
At last stage these open wounds are crust over and change into scabs. When they heal new bumps appear. Hence bumps, scabs, and blisters at same time. At this virus spread to other people by crusting the spot.
Mostly cases of chickenpox are mild and go away natural by its own. You have to go for Dr if u develop following symptoms:
- Neck stiffness.
- Muscle function not control.
- Vomiting.
- Temperature above the 102 F.
- Breathlessness.
- Dehydration.
- Dizziness.
- Eyes red or rashes develop in eyes.
- Rashes on the skin becomes red, warm and tender have bacterial skin.
Stages of chickenpox:
Stage 1: in this stage small spots becomes on the skin and these are on the body including your mouth, genitals and this is painful condition.
Stage2: in this stage of infection spot becomes blisters. These spot filled with fluid and like a blisters.
Stage 3: finally blisters becomes scabs. Those spots then become scrap.
Diagnosis:
Doctors diagnose chickenpox on the base of rash. Chicken pox may be diagnosed on the base of blood test or culture of lesion samples. To diagnose the chickenpox the most useful test is polymerase chain reaction PCR to diagnose virus in the skin lesion such as scabs or vesicles. Scabs are mostly best for sampling.
Prognosis of chickenpox:
Chickenpox is mild in young healthy children. If you have vaccinated then the severity of illness is reduced and associated diseases is also reduced. If your child develop chickenpox after chickenpox vaccination then disease is mild.
Duration of chickenpox:
When virus get in your body it usually takes 10 to 21 days to develop a rash and other symptoms. After this rashes develop on the skin which usually lasts 5 to 10 days .actually 7 to days after these rashes turn into blisters and then scabs. When symptoms of chickenpox disappear within 1 week or 2 week after that virus stay in your body in rest of their life and the virus can be dormant most of the time.
Treatment of Chickenpox:
For the mild cases the treatment option is resting, used some home remedies and to stay home. Patient must be used counter products to reduce the itching or pain and discomfort. Normally adults and children are more risk of developing complications, so they used antiviral drug to decrease the duration or severity of chickenpox. .
During the treatment of chickenpox, the children and young not used aspirin. If they used it increase the risk of Reye’s syndrome. A serious disease by this swelling of brain and liver occur. Always talk to your Dr before taking any medication especially nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine such as Advil or Motrin. Because by using this nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during chickenpox patients get more severe skin infections. If children or patients is at higher risk of developing complications then he must use the antiviral medication to reduce the severity. The mostly used antiviral drugs are Zovirax, staving Val acyclovir, famciclovir these drugs reduced the severity of the disease but mostly these drugs not proved beneficial to everyone.
In some case Dr Advice to take chickenpox vaccine in 3 to 5 days after getting virus .this can prevent the disease or lessen its severity.
If severe complications occur during chickenpox then the treatment is appropriate must be .patients used Antibiotics for pneumonia or allergy or skin infections. Patients used antiviral drugs for brain inflammation and patients must be hospitalized.
Patients must be carefully about care during chickenpox. Patients do not be used scratching over the blisters which cause slow healing, infections and scarring .to avoid the child from scratching you must be used gloves on child hand mostly at night to avoid it. You must be trim his fingernails.
If you and your child has chickenpox then must be away from the work it is best to stay home during this duration. During this period must be away from weak immune system person and new babies and pregnant women.
Vaccination:
A live varicella-zoster virus vaccination was produced in 1970 in japan. This vaccine virus was produced by the virus get form vesicular fluid in the healthy child which has chickenpox disease. And hence this is vaccination made though this way. American volcanologist development vaccine of chickenpox in the 1980 in the United states on the base of oaky strain of varicella-zoster virus. Chickenpox cause death but rare after vaccination .before vaccination the rate of death due to Chickenpox is more and greater than after the preparation and availability of vaccination in the market. According to this chance of death is very less in vaccinated children. In non-vaccinated adult or children have more chance to go in severity and admit to hospital after getting infections from chickenpox? Chickenpox vaccination is recommended for all the children under the age of 13 and don’t get chickenpox disease.
Adult vaccination against the chickenpox:
Actually the adult who do not be vaccinated against the chickenpox and have never get chickenpox must be vaccinated for the prevention and reduce the severity if you get infections from chickenpox. If you are exposed to chickenpox and already never received the chickenpox vaccination then must be received vaccination to prevent from sickness .actually vaccination will be effective 90 percent if given within the 3 days to prevent the illness. The vaccination is 70 percent effective if it is received within 5 days of exposure form chickenpox virus. And suppose after getting vaccination you get sick by this virus then symptoms will be milder and for short duration of time.
The following people not get vaccination of chickenpox without the recommendation of Dr:
- The person having an organ donor recipient.
- The pregnant women do not receive vaccination. And after get chickenpox vaccination women does not become pregnant for one mother after.
- People who are under the cancer treatment.
- The person receiving chemotherapy.
- Patients which undergo for radiation therapy.
- Severe ill patients don’t received chickenpox vaccination.
- The person who has allergy to gelatin or neomycin antibiotics and chickenpox vaccination first doze.
- People who are taking steroids not recommend for vaccination.
- People who has HIV disease or compromised immune system they have.
- People which undergo the process of blood transfusion or blood products.
- Virus is able to produce immunity in the body without causing illness.
Risks or complications with chickenpox vaccination:
The major side effects which comes mostly after getting chickenpox vaccination is swelling, itching, redness, soreness at the site of the injection. Some people have some fever or temperature and rashes after vaccination. Sometimes serious reactions which are rare but occur as following:
- Allergic reaction after vaccination on the whole skin.
- Seizures.
- Pneumonia.
- Infections of brain.
- Swelling of brain.
- Loss of balance.
If u experience severity of complication after receiving chickenpox vaccination then must consult about this symptoms with your Dr. After this reports these symptoms to vaccine Adverse Event Report system. Pregnant women get serious complications so they consult about this problem with their doctor. Because chickenpox vaccination cause birth defects or other problems on women. But on the other hand the risk associated with chickenpox vaccination are less than the problems with chickenpox disease or infection.
Itching and other symptoms:
During the chickenpox the rash are very itchy and their vesicles are broken and it can sting sometimes. It creates discomfort and fever, fatigue, headache and condition becomes miserable. For relief and to get better during this we must try this following Acetaminophen used to relief from fever. A soft easy digestible diet used because mostly chickenpox develop in your mouth, tongue and throat. Calamine lotion on the spots to get ease of form itching. Take bath with cool water added with baking soda and aluminum acetate, colloidal oatmeal, fine ground oatmeal and uncooked oatmeal. Antihistamines drugs are mostly used for itchy relief. The mostly used antihistamines drugs are Benadryl. If patients have fever more than 4 days then must be concern with your Dr. Chickenpox mostly effect the children and adults of any age also .most of them get better itself within 2 weeks or more. Calamine lotion is best lotion to reduce the itching and irritation in chickenpox. It is advised blisters and scabs not to be scratched .pregnant women. Newborn, people with weak immune system, elderly not expose to chickenpox. Children with chickenpox infection not go to school and take rest almost 6 days after the blisters appear on the skin. Crust and dry scab note cause any infection to others. Bath during chickenpox is very helpful especially with cool water .but do not used soap for bathing because it dry the skin which cause itchier during chickenpox.
Diet used in chickenpox:
Mostly soft and less spicy food are mostly used during chickenpox. If blisters are in mouth, throat and have oral lesion then must avoid the food which irritate more such as spicy food, salty, acidic and crunchy foods. Iron taking food is best during chickenpox because it fight against the chickenpox and reduce the complications. In chickenpox the risk of anemia and iron deficiency is greater so more prefer to iron containing foods. It is also recommended that the food which keep patients hydrated must be used during chickenpox. Soft food is mostly used because if patients has compromised immune system then chickenpox cause the infection of stomach.
Foods which used during chickenpox
There are following foods are safe and tolerable during chickenpox disease:
Soft foods such as:
- Boiled chicken.
- Tofu.
- Avocado.
- Beans.
- Lentils.
- Sweet potatoes.
- Scrambled eggs.
- Mashed potatoes.
- Mashed potatoes
- Poached fish
- Cool foods are included following:
- Kefir.
- Ice cream.
- Cottage cheese.
- Milkshakes.
- Yogurt.
- Smoothies.
- Bland food are following:
- Pasta.
- Toast.
- Rice.
- Oatmeal’s.
Fruits and vegetables which are non-acidic are following:
- Spinach.
- Perches.
- Cucumbers.
- Broccoli.
- Melons.
- Bananas.
- Applesauce.
- Kale.
During chickenpox you have to avoided eggs, oil and chicken. Small amount of cow ghee is used during chickenpox. Fruits like mango, apple figs, cheeku, banana, apricots are mostly used during chickenpox.
During chickenpox infection it is important for you to take nutritious diet for nutritional diet you must be preferred home cooked meal which is proved essential in every medical disease. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables like green leafy vegetables. Drink plenty of water and milk and fresh juices, and eat butter milk, herbs like garlic and turmeric. Because these herbs boost up the immunity and defend the body to fight and viral infection.
