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Chickenpox

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Epidemiology: Chickenpox
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.
The following paper provides a detailed description of Chickenpox and the determinants of health contributing to the development of the disease. The …show more content…

Before vaccines were introduced, varicella was endemic in the United States, and virtually all persons acquired varicella at some point before adulthood (cdc.gov, 2006). It is reported that 4 million cases of chickenpox were recorded in the U.S. each year before the vaccine was introduced. Although some states reported cases of varicella to the CDC, it was eliminated from the list of nationally notifiable conditions in 1981. Children under 10 years of age make up between 75 – 90 % of chickenpox cases. In 1995, due to the availability of the vaccine in the U.S., hospitalizations due to chickenpox has declined by nearly 90% (Hambleton, & Gershon, 2005).

Determinants of Health
Varicella peaks in the months of March through May and throughout the regions with mild temperature. Varicella and herpes zoster occur worldwide and are not restricted to any one geographic location. According to the CDC, the varicella infection is more prevalent among adults than children in tropical areas. It is unknown what the reasons are for the difference of age distribution, possibility is that in rural population varicella infection is not common (cdc.gov, 2006). January was regularly the season and its peak for the varicella infection before the nationwide vaccination was implemented. It was a after the nationwide immunizations in 2004, case numbers of

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