CHICKEN FOX IN CHILDREN

Chicken Pox In Children

One of the most notorious diseases among children for being contagious is chicken pox.
Varicella-zoster, also known simply as Varicella, is the virus that causes chicken pox infection.
There are many ways by which the virus get transmitted from one person to another. They
include airborne transmission, direct contact or droplet transmission. Persons infected with the
virus should be avoided and should as much as possible keep themselves away from coming in
contact with other persons. Even those who have just taken the anti-varicella virus vaccination
should be shunned.

Persons who get infected by chicken pox become a lifetime host of the virus. What keeps it in
check is the body's immune system. There are cases of infants who are endowed with partial
immunity from the virus, courtesy of the mother's blood, if the mother has earlier contracted the
disease and has developed her own immunity from it. Children whose mothers have not been
infected by the chicken pox virus tend to suffer the most when they get infected themselves.
Those who have been immunized may still get hit by the virus, but the infection is considered
mild. The infection worsens the skin condition of kids afflicted with sunburn or eczema. They are
likely to develop blisters thrice more than the average affliction. Severe complications may also
harm kids who have earlier taken steroids.

Cases of chicken pox infection dropped sharply when the anti-chicken pox vaccine came into
commercial use. Vaccination is a necessity for children below ten years old as they are the age
group most vulnerable to contracting the virus. On the other hand, adults or young people
beyond the age of ten show far more severe symptoms when they get hit by the disease.
A child infected with the virus normally develops an average of five hundred itchy blisters. These
blisters grow from red-colored spots on the skin and contain fluids. After a time they burst,
creating crust-like deformities on the affected skin. They show up first on the skin, after which
they spread over to other parts of the body, such as the scalp and trunk. The day after they
appear, the fluids turn cloudy and, eventually, scabby.

Chicken pox causes irritating and intense itchiness. Unless treated properly, crusts can also
leave lasting marks on the skin. Other symptoms of chicken pox begin to emerge two days after
contracting the virus. They include abdominal pain, fever, loss of appetite and headache. The
blisters themselves appear only after a number of days (ten at the minimum and twenty at the
maximum) after infection. Testing the blisters and even the blood itself may be conducted to
confirm the contamination. The patient's medical history also helps in coming up with a thorough
diagnosis.

Antihistamine-containing drugs can be administered along with application of prescribe lotion to
contain itchiness. Having kids take a bathe with lukewarm water and oatmeal also eases the
itchiness. To bolster immunization, doctor-prescribed anti-viral drugs must be taken at the first
sure sign of infection. Other household members who frequently come in contact with the
patient also need similar medication. When this is done promptly and properly, chances of
deflecting the disease are high, if not totally at least to a considerable degree. Unlike other
vaccines, the anti-varicella vaccine does not require boosters. However, adolescents may take,
with proper medical advice, larger doses of the vaccine to shield themselves herpes zoster or
shingles.