Chickenpox : A Contagious Communicable Disease

Many infectious diseases that once quickly spread and easily killed have been controlled or eradicated due to vaccinations. The efficacy of vaccines in reducing morbidity and mortality, particularly in children, is undeniable. Per the World Health Organization, childhood vaccinations prevent approximately 2-3 million deaths per year worldwide (WHO, 2016). In the United States, the value of immunizations is clearly displayed by comparing pre-vaccine era morbidity/mortality rates to post-vaccine era in regards to vaccine-preventable diseases. For example, prior to the diphtheria vaccine in the 1920’s, 206,000 people annually contracted the disease resulting in 15,520 deaths (History of Vaccines, 2009). However, between 2004 and 2014, only

Despite significant progress in the fight against preventable disease, millions still die needlessly each year. According to UNICEF, originally known as the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, a vaccine preventable disease is responsible for 2 million fatal infections worldwide each year. About 75% of these deaths occur in children under five years of age. (N) In more vivid terms, UNICEF notes that vaccine-preventable diseases kill a child every 20 seconds. (D) Due to high rates of childhood vaccination, the United States has experienced a dramatic reduction in such deaths. A comparison of the years 1950 and 2010 clearly illustrates the benefits of vaccinations. During this 60-year period, deaths from diphtheria reduced from 410 to 0, tetanus from 336 to 3, pertussis from 1,118 to 26, and polio from 1,904 to 0. Measles deaths dropped from 468 in 1950 to 0 in 2008, the last year a United States death rate was recorded. It’s not surprising that vaccinations have been touted as one of the top ten health achievements of the 20th century by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Chicken poxChickenpox  is a mild and common childhood illness that most children catch at some point.

Starting from the beginning; Varicella or chicken pox is an infectious disease that can be characterized by an itchy skin rash. The rash usually appears a few days after exposure and can spread throughout the entire body accompanied with fever, fatigue, and flu like symptoms. Each rash blister will dry out and form a scab which then falls off in the course of healing. Getting chicken pox more than

Shingles is a virus that causes a tender rash located anywhere on the body. The torso and face are common areas for shingles to occur, and usually appears just as a strip of blisters. The shingles virus can affect anybody, but is more likely to occur in adults. Varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, can lead to shingles. Once someone has had chickenpox, it remains in the body located in nerve tissue close to the spinal cord. After a number of years, it can reappear as the shingles virus. The virus remains in the body and can flare up at different times, but some people never experience the return of this virus. It is not possible to get shingles if one has never been exposed to chickenpox.

Mandatory vaccination continues to be a contentious subject in the United States, even though extensive evidence proves inoculation prevents certain diseases. According to A. Plotkin & L. Plotkin (2011), the evolution of the first vaccine commenced in the 1700’s when a physician named Edwards Jenner discovered that cowpox protected individuals from one of the deadliest diseases termed smallpox. The precise virus Jenner used is unclear; however, it was espoused in the extermination of smallpox worldwide. The researchers further explained, the unearthing of the subsequent vaccine known as chicken cholera occurred approximately 80 years later by Louise Pasteur. Ever since, copious vaccines such as rabies, yellow fever, varicella, pneumococcal, mumps and recently HPV have been introduced.

It is not a serious health issue to healthy children and adults. It can cause problems for pregnant women, newborns, teens, adults, and people who have immune system problems. Chickenpox is spread easily. It can be spread by an infected person when they sneeze, cough, or you share food or drink with them. It can also be contracted by coming in contact with the liquid from a chickenpox blister. If you live with someone who has chickenpox, you have a much higher chance of contracting them. The first symptoms occur fourteen to sixteen days after a person is infected with the virus. Infected person usually feels sick and runs a fever; they have a loss of appetite, headache, cough, and sore throat. The rash appears a day or two after the other symptoms begin. After the rash appears, it takes a day or two for the spots to go through all of its stages. These stages include: blistering, bursting, drying, and crusting over. New spots will continue to appear for five to seven days. Ten days after the first symptoms is when all of the spots usually will have crusted over and it is okay to be around other

Shingles is a skin disease that causes large rashes and blisters. The shingles virus normally comes after you have had the chicken pox. Once you have gotten the chicken pox the shingles virus is already inside of you. This doesn’t exactly mean that you will get shingles if you have had the chicken pox it just means you are more likely to get it. The correct name of the virus that gives shingles is varicella zoster virus this virus is the same for chicken pox. The shingle virus can stay dormant inside of someone for years but when it comes awake it will travel up nerves and whatever those nerves control is what will be affected. According to (The british skin foundation) “About 20% of people who have had chickenpox will have an attack of shingles

Chickenpox, also known as varicella, is little red itchy, blistery dots that appear all over the body. It is more common during childhood, in most cases.

Shingles are more likely to show up in adults who have had the chickenpox in their childhood. The shingles are caused by a viral infection known as the varicella-zoster virus. This virus is part of a group of viruses called herpes viruses (herpes zoster). Although shingles is part of this group, it is not the same in that it is not a virus that is responsible for sexually transmitted diseases. Shingles can be very painful and cause many types of infections, but it is not life-threatening and it is treatable.

Chicken Pox is a virus caused by varicella-zoster, a member of the herpes family. This same virus also is a cause of herpes zoster other known as shingles in adults. Chicken pox is very contagious and can easily spread to people. Chicken pox is acquired by coming into contact with the fluid of a chicken pox blister, or airborne by an infected person sneezing near you. The blister-like rash usually lasts five to ten days. The incubation period lasts 10-21 days and a person with chickenpox becomes contagious one to two days before their blisters appear. The person with chicken pox remains contagious until all the blisters have crusted

The Varicella-Zoster virus causes a very infectious disease called Chickenpox. Chickenpox is usually acquired through the inhalation of airborne respiratory droplets from an infected host. Chickenpox is primarily acquired during childhood , with more than 90% of all reported cases occurring in children under the age of 10. A person with chickenpox can spread the virus without even showing any signs or symptoms. It is usually most easily transmitted two to three days before a rash appears and keeps that high transmission rate until the blisters have crusted over.

Chickenpox is a viral infection caused by the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) transmitted via the respiratory route that causes itchy, blisters-like rashes usually lasting about 5-10 days. It is highly contagious transmitted by person to person contact (direct) from respiratory secretions or indirectly through contact with airborne respiratory droplets, via soiled inanimate objects infected by discharge from skin lesions, vesicle discharges or nasopharyngeal secretions. The incubation period lasts about 10-21 days and the disease is communicable 1-2 days

Chickenpox disease can cause serious complications on infants, adults, adolescents, pregnant women and those with weakened immune system like HIV/Aids or cancer patients, people with organ transplants, on chemotherapy, immunosuppressive medications or long-term use of steroids. Complications includes pneumonia, dehydration, sepsis, bleeding problems, children having bacterial infection like group A streptococcal on the skin and soft tissues, and death to unvaccinated person. If a pregnant woman is infected with Chickenpox at her first trimester, the diseases can cause rare congenital symptoms on the fetal which presents as congenital varicella syndrome, low birth weight, atrophy, neurological abnormalities, or scarring of the skin and eyes (Maurer & Smith 2013).

Chickenpox is a contagious disease that is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (or coming in