Chickenpox
(varicella zoster)
What is chickenpox?
Chickenpox is a highly communicable disease caused by the Varicella
virus, a member of the herpes virus family. It is the most commonly
reported childhood disease in New York State.
Who gets chickenpox?
Almost everyone gets chickenpox. In metropolitan communities, about
75 percent of the population has had chickenpox by age 15 and at least
90 percent by young adulthood. In temperate climates, chickenpox occurs
most frequently in winter and early spring.
How is chickenpox spread?
Chickenpox is transmitted to others by direct person-to-person contact,
by droplet or airborne spread of discharges from an infected person's
nose and throat or indirectly through articles freshly soiled by discharges
from the infected person's lesions. The scabs themselves are not
considered infectious.
What are the symptoms of chickenpox?
Initial symptoms include sudden onset of slight fever and feeling
tired and weak. These are soon followed by an itchy blister-like rash.
The blisters eventually dry, crust over and form scabs. The blisters
tend to be more common on covered than on exposed parts of the body.
They may appear on the scalp, armpits, trunk and even on the eyelids
and in the mouth. Mild or inapparent infections occasionally occur in
children. The disease is usually more serious in adults than in children.
How soon do symptoms appear?
Symptoms commonly appear 13-17 days after infection, with a range
of 11-21 days.
When and for how long is a person able to spread chickenpox?
A person is able to transmit chickenpox from five days before onset
of rash to not more than six days after the appearance of the first
lesion. Contagion may be prolonged in people with altered immunity conditions.
Does past infection with chickenpox make a person immune?
Chickenpox generally results in lifelong immunity. However, this infection
may remain hidden and recur years later as Herpes zoster (shingles)
in a proportion of older adults and sometimes in children.
What are the complications associated with chickenpox?
Reye's syndrome has been a potentially serious complication associated
with clinical chickenpox. Newborn children (less than one month old)
whose mothers are not immune, and patients with leukemia may suffer
severe, prolonged or fatal chickenpox. Immunodeficient patients and
those on immunosuppressive drugs may have an increased risk of developing
a severe form of shingles.
Is there a vaccine for chickenpox?
A vaccine to protect children against chickenpox was first licensed
in March 1995. It has been recommended for persons over 12 months and
older. To protect high-risk newborns and immunodeficient patients from
exposure, a shot of varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG) is effective
in modifying or preventing disease if given within 96 hours after exposure
to a case of chickenpox. Older children and adults who have previously
had chickenpox do not need to be vaccinated. Contact your doctor or
local health department for further information about the chickenpox
vaccine.
What can a person or community do to prevent the spread of chickenpox?
The best method to prevent further spread of chickenpox is for people
infected with the disease to remain home and avoid exposing others who
are susceptible. If they develop symptoms, they should remain home until
one week after the skin eruption began or until the lesions become dry.
Pay particular attention to avoiding unnecessary exposure of nonimmune
newborns and immunodeficient patients to chickenpox. Is there a treatment
for chickenpox?
In 1992, Acyclovir was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
for treatment of chickenpox in healthy children. However, because chickenpox
tends to be mild in healthy children, most physicans do not feel that
it is necessary to prescribe Acyclovir.
Updated: April 1996
Source: NY State Department of Health
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