As you become a registered nurse you can specialized in a variety of fields. One of the many fields you can choose is to become a Community Health Nurse. As Community Health Nurse you will deliver care to individual people, families, and community groups. You will have to focus on promoting, preserving, protecting, treating, and maintaining health. One of the many diseases you will encounter as a Community Health Nurse is called varicella zoster virus. The varicella zoster virus is one of the eight types of herpes viruses known to cause human infection and it is found all over the world. Varicella zoster virus infection causes two clinically distinct forms of disease: varicella (chickenpox) and herpes zoster (shingles). Chickenpox is a contagious illness that causes an itchy rash and red spots or blisters all over the body. Chickenpox can cause problems for pregnant women, newborns, teens and adults, and people who have immune system problems that make it hard for the body to fight infection. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, …show more content…
A way to prevent chicken pox is by avoiding close contact with people who are infected with the virus. Once the blisters start appearing you will become itchy. You have to avoid scratching and rubbing them or they will keep spreading thought out the body or cause skin infection. Some ways to avoid the itchiness is to rub calamine lotion on affected area or by taking an oatmeal bath. If you are an adult that has been exposed to the chickenpox the doctor will prescribe you an antiviral medication such as Acyclovir and will prescribe you medicine to relieve pain and discomfort such as Tylenol or Motrin. If you happen to get a skin infection caused from scratching the blisters the doctor may prescribe you an
If a woman is exposed to shingles during her pregnancy, and acquires shingles, her pregnancy may be complicated. The mother may get very sick, and the baby may get chicken pox right away or within a few days of birth. If the pregnant woman has shingles within a few days before birth this can be very bad for the baby. The newborn baby might not be able to handle all the stress on the body of the virus attacking the nerves so young. It is not very common for this to happen although it can.
Varicella (chicken pox) and Herpes Zoster (shingles) are pathologies that in a sense go hand in hand; you can't contract shingles until you have had Chicken pox. Anyone who has had chicken pox is not guarantee to get shingles but is at risk as shingles is a painful localized recurrence of the skin rash, it could reactivate or remain dormant.
Shingles is a virial infection that causes a band or strip like rash to appear on the skin that looks like a cluster of blisters in a small area that is painful also called herpes zoster. When it appears it can affect either side of the torso and the face near the eye which can cause serious permanent damage to your vision. This rash can last about 2 to 4 of weeks, when the healing process begins it forms
I will then explain that there are some things they can do to keep infections at bay. Not touching the sores will help keep them clean. It will be hard at first to not scratch when they are having the itching sensations but it is important to touch the area as little as possible to keep any infectious agents out of the area. Not touching will keep it clean and keep the pain down as much as possible. They need to make sure they wash their hands any time they touch the areas because they can spread the virus. They need to stay away from people who have not had the chicken pox or the vaccine. People who are immune suppressed and the unborn child of a pregnant women. This virus can be life threating to all of these people.
Shingles is a painful disease that is caused by the same virus that causes the chicken pox. The shingles virus affects about 1 million people per year in the United States alone. Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, occurs in people who have already had chickenpox when they were younger. Shingles causes a painful skin rash that usually appears in a band, strip or a small area on one side of the face or body. Most individuals who develop shingles are older than 50 years or have other medical problems like cancer because procedures like chemotherapy weaken your immune system. People who are immune-suppressed from medications they take, like steroid medications are also vulnerable because their immune system is weak, letting the shingles
Varicella zoster virus is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Therefore, if a person has previously had chickenpox at younger age they are more likely to get Shingles because that same virus is dormant in their body. The virus stays dormant around the nerve tissue of spinal cord for a long time after the person have had chickenpox. The shingles virus can
Herpes Zosters also known as shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that that causes us to get chickenpox. . Anyone who has ever had chickenpox in their youth years, are most likely to get shingles in their elder years. Once a person has chickenpox, the virus is still in the person body. It “sleeps” in certain nerves in your body and once you get older the virus will reactivate and become herpes zoster. Every 1 in 3 people will get shingles at the age 60 and older. About 1 million people in the U.S are affected by this virus. Having a low immune system can give the virus a chance to attack the victim. If the victim has a medical condition such as having leukemia, and lymphoma, having HIV, or even taking medication
Shingles is a very painful and often a very harmful condition. This virus is generated by the same virus (herpes zoster) none as chickenpox’s. After one gets chickenpox, the virus can lie inactive in the sensory nerves for at least 20 years. It reappears when the disease fighting system is weakened by age, disease or unmanaged stress. When events happen that decrease the disease fighting system, such as getting older, extreme emotional stress, extreme illness, or long-term usage of drugs, the disease fighting system cannot hold down and stop the inactive organisms any longer and they become active again, causing infection along the pathway of the nerve. Shingles is a very painful disease that affects the immune system; however,
Shingles is a disease that one out three people in the United States will likely develop. It usually develops in elderly men and women. Shingles is a virus that is similarly to chickenpox. If a person has had chickenpox, then he or she will likely develop shingles. “Shingles is known as zoster or herpes zoster, and an estimated 1 million cases occurs each year in this country” (Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 2014). The cause of shingles is the varicella zoster virus (VZV). There are noticeable signs and symptoms associated with shingles. It can have a major impact on an individual’s life, when detected. Other issues surrounding shingles are its environmental and genetic causes, treatment, and prevention.
Since shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus, it would be able to spread chickenpox to those who never had chickenpox. They would not develop the shingles rash itself.
The name of the disease chosen is called shingles, however it has been known as zoster or herpes zoster in the past and occurs in approximately one in every three people in the United States (Kihei et al. 1993).
During the 2 – dose vaccination, incidence declined between 67 percent and 76 percent (Varicella Active Surveillance Project, 2016). Varicella outbreaks declined 78 percent from 147 in 2005 to 33 outbreaks in 2012 in 6 states (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016). The reported outbreaks occurred in day care centers and elementary schools in the United States (Creed, Satyaprakash, & Ravanfar, 2009)
The person should avoid scratching or rubbing the itchy areas and keep their fingernails short to avoid damaging the skin. The infected person should avoid prolonged exposure to excessive heat and humidity. The use of over- the counter antihistamines or hydrocortisone creams may be recommended for itch relief. Some doctors may prescribe antivirals if the rash began within 24 hours. Antiviral medication is not usually prescribed to otherwise healthy children who do not have severe symptoms. Antivirals are usually prescribed to high-risk groups whom are prone to severe symptoms such as eczema, lung conditions, or who immunocompromised individuals. The infected person should also be advised to avoid aspirin due to association with a serious condition called Reyes syndrome or Ibuprofen due to the association of more severe secondary infections. Tylenol is recommended for fever relief. Some complications that can occur are bacterial infections secondary to scratching, encephalitis, pneumonia and death. The preventions of chickenpox are acquired by vaccination with the varicella vaccine in children, adolescents, and adults, and the herpes zoster vaccine for persons of 60 and older (Maurer&Smith). The Centers for Disease and controls estimates that 95% of Americans will have chickenpox by the time they reach adulthood. The CDC also estimates that there are 4 million cases with a100 deaths and 9300 hospitalizations a
VARICELLA is a highly contagious viral disease that is spread through direct contact, sneezing, coughing or fluid. Chicken pox is the most common form of VARICELLA, with about 9000 people are hospitalised each year after having caught the virus, from those people about 90 people will die. Prior to the introduction of a vaccine chicken pox infected around 4 million people each year with around 150 deaths (CDC 2015).The Symptoms of chicken pox include an itchy red rash that may have open lesions, or crusted over wounds, fevers, sore throats and headaches (Better Health Victoria 2016). However Complications of the common chicken pox are what make it deadly. Complications can include dehydration, excessive bleeding, inflammation within the brain, pneumonia, bone infections and joint infections (Health NSW 2014). Babies, adolescents, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are particularly vulnerable to the effects of chicken pox as they find it harder to manage and recover from such symptoms.
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.