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Chicken pox

Condition Overview:

Also spelled chicken pox, is the common name for varicella simplex, classically one of the childhood infectious diseases caught and survived by most children.

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), also known as human herpes virus 3 (HHV-3), one of the eight herpes viruses known to affect humans. It starts with conjunctival and catarrhal symptoms, moderate fever and then characteristic spots appearing in two or three waves, mainly on the body and head rather than the hands and becoming itchy raw pox (pocks), small open sores which heal mostly without scarring.Chickenpox has a two-week incubation period and is highly contagious by air transmission two days before symptoms appear. Therefore, chickenpox spreads quickly through schools and other places of close contact. Once someone has been infected with the disease, they usually develop protective immunity for life. It is fairly rare to get the chickenpox multiple times, but it is possible for people with irregular immune systems. As the disease is more severe if contracted by an adult, parents have been known to ensure their children become infected before adulthood.The disease is rarely fatal: if fatality occurs, the actual death is usually from varicella pneumonia, and occurs more frequently in pregnant women. In the US, 55 percent of chickenpox deaths were in the over-20 age group. Doctors advise pregnant women not known to be immune and who come into contact with chickenpox should contact their doctor immediately, as the virus can cause serious problems for the fetus. In the UK Varicella antibodies are measured as part of the routine of antenatal care, and by 2005 all NHS healthcare personnel had determined their immunity and been immunised if they were non-immune.

Later in life, viruses remaining in the nerves can develop into the painful disease shingles, particularly in people with compromised immune systems, such as the elderly, and perhaps even those suffering sunburn. Some of these will develop zoster-associated pain or post-herpetic neuralgia, described usually as "horrible" or "excruciating". A chickenpox vaccine has been available since 1995, and is now required in some countries for children to be admitted into elementary school.

In addition, effective medications (e.g., aciclovir) are available to treat chickenpox in healthy and immunocompromised persons. Symptomatic treatment—calamine lotion to ease itching and paracetamol to reduce fever—is widely used. Aspirin is contraindicated in children with chickenpox, as it can lead to Reye's syndrome.