FREE ESSAY ON MEDIA

MEDIA

CHICKEN POX
Chicken Pox is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes
virus. It is contracted by contact with actual lesions or by respiratory secretions and
there is a 10-21 day incubation period during which your child is developing the illness
but does not show any symptoms and is not contagious (until the very last 1 or 2 days
before the pox appear.). Once the vesicles show up there are likely to be many more on
the way for between 3 and 7 more days and your child is contagious throughout this whole
period until there are no new lesions for at least 24 hours and the old lesions are dry
or scabbed. This virus is unusual in several ways, one way being that it settles into
areas of the nervous system and then potentially can reactivate as a localized painful
rash that follows a nerve path. This is known as herpes zoster (also referred to as
Shingles) and it is spread to anyone who has never had chicken pox only by direct contact
with the lesions (not by the respiratory route like the original chicken pox infection).
Zoster often occurs in elderly or run down or immune compromised people and is not the
result of exposure to a child with chicken pox - it is a reactivation of one's own
previous chicken pox infection, usually from as far back as childhood. This becomes
important to families when young children with chicken pox are scheduled to visit
grandparents and parents are concerned that their elderly parents will catch pox from the
grandchildren.
Chicken pox can be acquired any time during the year but is most prevalent in winter and
spring. 90-95% of Americans get chicken pox in childhood and often from their own
siblings. For unclear reasons, chicken pox is less common in tropical climates and many
adult immigrants are not protected from this infection. Infection in adults is typically
more severe and can be life threatening.
Almost all exposed children will develop a rash, described as dewdrops on rosebuds,
although some children have so few lesions that they may go unnoticed. Many children have
a prodrome (sick period before the actual obvious illness appears) that included fever,
malaise, headache, poor appetite, and mild abdominal pain. These symptoms may continue
for 2-4 days after the rash first appears. Usually the vesicles start on the face and
scalp, moving next to the trunk and then on to the extremities. They arrive in clumps so
that there are clusters of lesions in various stages around the body. The average number
of lesions is about 300 but as few as 10 and as many as 1500 lesions have been counted on
one child! They begin as itchy raised red bumps that soon become blister like with fluid
inside and then pop or ooze and then crust over. Second cases in the home are usually
worse than the original case and children with skin conditions such as excema are also
prone to worse outbreaks. The lesions can appear anywhere including the mouth, the vagina
, the anus, the eyes, and although painful, it rarely has serious outcome. The healing
lesions are hypopigmented for many weeks but pox rarely scar except when badly gouged and
infected secondarily with bacteria in the fingernails of the scratcher.
An immune globulin called VZIG (varicella-zoster immune globulin) is available for
protection of immune compromised children, pregnant women, and newborn infants exposed to
maternal varicella right before or after Chicken Pox is a viral infection caused by the
varicella-zoster virus, a type of herpes virus. It is contracted by contact with actual
lesions or by respiratory secretions and there is a 10-21 day incubation period during
which your child is developing the illness but does not show any symptoms and is not
contagious (until the very last 1 or 2 days before the pox appear.). Once the vesicles
show up there are likely to be many more on the way for between 3 and 7 more days and
your child is contagious throughout this whole period until there are no new lesions for
at least 24 hours and the old lesions are dry or scabbed. This virus is unusual in
several ways, one way being that it settles into areas of the nervous system and then
potentially can reactivate as a localized painful rash that follows a nerve path. This is
known as herpes zoster (also referred to as Shingles) and it is spread to anyone who has
never had chicken pox only by direct contact with the lesions (not by the respiratory
route like the original chicken pox infection). Zoster often occurs in elderly or run
down or immune compromised people and is not the result of exposure to a child with
chicken pox - it is a reactivation of one's own previous chicken pox infection, usually
from as far back as childhood. This becomes important to families when young children
with chicken pox are scheduled to visit grandparents and parents are concerned that their
elderly parents will catch pox from the grandchildren.
Most children with chicken pox are at least mildly uncomfortable from the itchy nature of
the pox. Using soothing lotions and cool baths is helpful as is keeping the fingernails
short and antihistamines available for the worst nights. Many over the counter bath
solutions claim to help dry the pox and certainly make the itching milder but be careful
to only gently pat dry the rash so as not to irritate the skin or spread virus particles
to others. Keeping cool and clean is very helpful for the comfort and safety of the child
with pox. Keeping entertained is another matter and some families have combined their
sick children to keep each other company. The risk of increasing the exposure for other
siblings and for spreading secondary bacterial infection between the children make this a
poor idea in general. Besides, sick children need to rest and be encouraged to drink more
fluids instead of becoming more active during the illness. Staying out of doors and away
from sun exposure also decreases the chance of severe itching and scarring. Most children
are back in school in a week or so and have many fellow students to compare notes with.
This is a very common and usually manageable childhood illness.