Welcome to the Varicella (Chickenpox) Page
|
Chickenpox is an infectious
disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus which results in a
blister-like rash, itching, tiredness and fever.
|
 |
The rash appears first on the
trunk and face, but can spread over the entire body causing
between 250 to 500 itchy blisters. Most cases of chickenpox occur
in persons less than 15 years old. Prior to the use of varicella
vaccine, the disease had annual cycles, peaking in the spring of
each year.
How do you get chickenpox?
Chickenpox is highly infectious and spreads from person to person by direct contact or through the air from an infected persons coughing or sneezing. A persons with chickenpox is contagious 1-2 days before the rash appears and until all blisters have formed scabs. It takes from 10-21 days after contact with an infected person for someone to develop chickenpox.
- In children, chickenpox most commonly causes an illness that lasts about 5-10 days. Children usually miss 5 or 6 days of school or childcare due to their chickenpox. About half of all children with chickenpox visit a health care provider due to symptoms of their illness such as high fever, severe itching, an uncomfortable rash, dehydration or headache. In addition, about 1 child in 10 has a complication from chickenpox serious enough to visit a health care provider including infected skin lesions, other infections, dehydration from vomiting or diarrhea, exacerbation of asthma or more serious complications such as pneumonia.
- Certain groups of persons are more likely to have more serious illness with complications. These include adults, infants, adolescents and people with weak immune systems from either illnesses or from medications such a long-term steroids.
- What are the serious
complications from chickenpox?
Serious complications
from chickenpox include bacterial infections which can
involve many sites of the body including the skin,
tissues
|
 |
- under the skin, bone, lungs
(pneumonia), joints and the blood. Other serious complications are
due directly to the virus infection and include viral pneumonia,
bleeding problems and infection of the brain (encephalitis). Many
people are not aware that, before a vaccine was available, there
were approximately 11,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths from
chickenpox in the U.S. every year . One child and one adult died
each week. For information about serious infections following
chickenpox visit the following site:
Complications from Group A
Streptococcus:
http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/
00049535.htm
- Can a healthy
person with varicella die from the disease?
Yes, many of the deaths and
complications from chickenpox occur in previously healthy children
and adults. From 1990 to 1994, before there was a vaccine
available, there were about 50 chickenpox deaths in children and
50 chickenpox deaths in adults every year; most of these persons
were healthy or did not have a medical illness (such as cancer)
that placed them at higher risk of getting severe chickenpox.
Since 1999, states have been encouraged to report chickenpox
deaths to CDC. In 1999 and 2000, CDC received reports that showed
that deaths from chickenpox continue to occur in healthy,
unvaccinated children and adults. Most of the healthy adults who
died from chickenpox contracted the disease from their
unvaccinated children.
Yes, chickenpox can now be
prevented by vaccination.
Yes, but it is uncommon to do so.
For most people, one infection is thought to confer lifelong
immunity.
- Chickenpox
in children is usually not
serious. Why not let children get the disease?
It is never possible to predict
who will have a mild case of chickenpox and who will have a
serious or even deadly case of disease. Now that there is a safe
and effective vaccine available, it is not worth taking this
chance.
Source Public Domain National
Immunization Program
|
For your convenience, we have
prepared a list of search terms used in order of popularity,
to find more pages on this subject: Searches completed in December
2004
Searches completed in December 2004
Count Search Term
57209 chicken pox
6795 chicken pox picture
4045 chicken pox symptom
2200 chicken pox vaccine
1325 adult chicken pox
1171 shingles chicken pox
1087 chicken pox and pregnancy
792 chicken pox treatment
653 chicken pox photo
647 chicken pox information
602 chicken pox in adult
542 chicken pox virus
514 history of chicken pox
452 infant chicken pox
418 chicken pox vaccination
323 what do chicken pox look like
322 chicken pox contagious
300 chicken pox scar
281 chicken pox immunization
280 chicken pox varicella
266 chicken pox rash
227 pic of chicken pox
216 baby and chicken pox
214 picture of chicken pox virus
212 cause chicken pox
208 fact about chicken pox
205 sign of chicken pox
198 cure for chicken pox
198 chicken pox incubation period
187 chicken pox incubation
184 chicken pox remedy
174 chicken pox vaccine side effects
173 what does chicken pox look like
171 chicken pox in child
164 chicken pox in infant
162 chicken pox during pregnancy
160 chicken pox child
157 sign and symptom of chicken pox
152 chicken pox image
146 chicken pox shot
118 chicken pox vacine
116 chicken pox complication
112 chicken disease pox
111 chicken pox scar removal
106 chicken pox in pregnancy
105 adult chicken pox symptom
100 chicken exposure pox
91 chicken pox info
89 chicken pox relief
85 chicken home pox remedy
82 chicken herpes pox
80 chicken discovered pox who
76 chicken pox pregnant
75 chicken child picture pox
75 chicken pox prevention
74 chicken pox after vaccine
74 chicken pox statistics
70 chicken pox pregnant woman
69 chicken pox twice
67 chicken pox in baby
66 chicken medical pox
66 chicken pox reaction vaccine
64 chicken doll kelly pox
63 chicken pox graph
63 chicken pox spread
62 chicken pox second time
61 chicken picture pox rash
60 acyclovir chicken pox
60 carrier chicken pox
59 chicken medication pox
59 chicken pox toddler
58 chicken pox transmission
57 chicken pox vaccines
56 chicken pox after vaccination
56 chicken contagious pox when
56 chicken origin pox
56 chicken pox stage
54 chicken outbreak pox
52 article chicken pox
52 chicken contagious long pox
52 chicken during exposure pox pregnancy
51 adult chicken pox vaccine
51 chicken pox syptoms
50 chicken get pox
50 chicken kid pox
49 chicken pox treat
48 chicken contagious period pox
48 chicken duration pox
48 chicken pox shingles virus
47 chicken diagnosis pox
46 can you get chicken pox twice
46 chicken name pox scientific
45 chicken infected pox
45 chicken newborns pox
45 chicken pox treating
43 chicken measles pox
43 chicken pox and small pox
42 chicken people picture pox
40 chicken pox newborn
39 chicken pox uk
Back
to the Freetipson Healthcare Homepage
Source Overture
|
|