Proper Name: Varicella
Common Name: Chickenpox
Age of Onset: Chickenpox is a common childhood skin disease that is caused by a virus called the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Most people get chickenpox by age 15, the majority being between ages 5 and 9, but all ages can get it. Chickenpox is usually more severe in adults and very young infants than children. A person usually has only one episode of chickenpox, but VZV can lie dormant within the body and cause a different type of skin eruption later in life called shingles (or herpes zoster).
Duration: Chickenpox may start out seeming like a cold. 1 to 2 days later, the rash begins, often in bunches of spots on the chest and face. From there it can spread out quickly over the entire body. The number of pox ranges for different people, some get just a few bumps; others are covered from head to toe. At first, the rash looks like pinkish dots that quickly develop a small blister on top. After about 24 to 48 hours, the fluid in the blisters gets cloudy and the blisters begin to crust over. Chickenpox blisters show up in waves, so after some begin to crust over, a new group of spots may appear. New chickenpox usually stop appearing by the seventh day, though they may stop as early as the third day. It usually takes 10–14 days for all the blisters to be scabbed over and then you are no longer contagious. Winter and spring are the most common times of the year for chickenpox to occur.
Males/Females/Equal: males and females are equally susceptible
Cause: Chickenpox is contagious. Someone who has chickenpox is most contagious during the first 2 to 5 days that he or she is sick. That's usually about 1 to 2 days before the rash shows up. So you could be spreading around chickenpox without even knowing it. A person who has chickenpox can pass it to someone else by coughing or sneezing. When he or she coughs, sneezes, laughs, and even talks, tiny drops come out of the mouth and nose. These drops are full of the chickenpox virus. So once these drops are out, they are susceptible to anybody that comes in contact with them or happens to breathe them in.
Symptoms & Prognosis: Chickenpox causes a red, itchy rash on the skin that usually appears first on the chest or back and face, and then spreads to almost everywhere else on the body, including the scalp, mouth, nose, ears, and genitals. The rash begins as multiple small, red bumps that look like pimples or insect bites. They develop into thin-walled blisters filled with clear fluid, which becomes cloudy. The blister wall breaks, leaving open sores, which finally crust over to become dry, brown scabs. Chickenpox blisters are usually less than a quarter of an inch wide, have a reddish base, and appear over 2 to 4 days.
Some kids have a fever, chest pain, sore throat, headache, or a vague sick feeling a day or 2 before the rash appears. These symptoms may last for a few days, and fever stays in the range of 100°–102°. Younger kids often have milder symptoms and fewer blisters than older children or adults. Chickenpox has a 10-21 day incubation period. Following primary infection there is usually lifelong protective immunity from further episodes of chickenpox.
Typically, chickenpox is not a serious illness, but can affect some infants, teens, adults, and people with weak immune systems more severely. Some people can develop serious bacterial infections involving the skin, lungs, bones, joints, and the brain. Anyone who has had chickenpox (or the chickenpox vaccine) as a child is at risk for developing shingles later in life, and up to 20% do. After an infection, VZV can remain inactive in nerve cells near the spinal cord and reactivate later as shingles, which can cause tingling, itching, or pain followed by a rash with red bumps and blisters.
Treatment Options: A vaccine to protect children against chickenpox was first licensed in March 1995. It has been recommended for persons over 12 months of age to help prevent attaining the disease later in life.
Since it is a virus that causes chickenpox, the doctor will not prescribe antibiotics. However, antibiotics may be required if the sores become infected by bacteria. This is pretty common among kids because they often scratch and pick at the blisters. The antiviral medicine acyclovir may be prescribed for people with chickenpox who are at risk for complications. The drug, which can make the infection less severe, must be given within the first 24 hours after the rash appears.
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/skin/chicken_pox.html
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/chickenpox/article_em.htm
http://www.health.state.ny.us/diseases/communicable/chickenpox/fact_sheet.htm
