Introduction
Chickenpox
is a highly contagious illness that should become much less
a part of childhood as more children are given the Varivax
or chickenpox vaccine. Chickenpox is caused by the varicella
zoster virus. Unvaccinated children usually develop symptoms
about ten to twenty-one days after being exposed to someone
with chickenpox.
Facts
Chickenpox
is often thought of as a normal illness of childhood that
usually only causes mild symptoms, but it can lead to serious
complications, especially in young children and adults. About
12,000 people each year are hospitalized for complications
of having chickenpox and about 100 of these people die.
The
chickenpox vaccine is about 85-90% effective in preventing
chickenpox in children who are immunized, but it is 100% effective
at preventing a moderate or severe case of chickenpox. So,
while it is still possible that your child will get chickenpox
after getting the vaccine, it is usually a very mild case,
with a lower fever, less blisters and a quicker recovery than
a child who wasn't immunized.
It
isn't yet known how long immunity will last in children who
have received the chickenpox vaccine, but current studies
show immunity lasts at least twenty years, since people who
have received the vaccine twenty years ago are still immune.
It is not currently believed that children will need a booster
dose of the chickenpox vaccine, but studies are continuing
to be done.
Since
it was introducted in mid-1990s, about six million doses of
the chickenpox vaccine have been given.
If
your child is given the Varivax vaccine within three days,
and sometimes up to five days, of being exposed to someone
with chickenpox, it may help prevent him from becoming infected.
Spreading
Of Virus
Chickenpox
is spread by both direct contact with an infected person and
through air borne spread of respiratory secretions. Since
infected persons are contagious for a day or two before they
even develop a rash, a patient may have been exposed to someone
with chickenpox without knowing. You can also get chickenpox
after having direct contact with someone who has shingles
or herpes zoster, a reactivation of chickenpox.
Symptoms
Symptoms
begin with a low grade fever, loss of appetite and decreased
activity. About two days later, a patient will develop an itchy
rash consisting of small red bumps that start on the scalp,
face and trunk and then spread to the arms and legs, but may
also occur in the mouth and genitalia.
The
bumps then become blisters with clear and then cloudy fluid,
and then become open sores and finally crust over within about
twenty four hours, but your child will continue to get new bumps
for about four more days.
All
of the chickenpox lesions should be crusted over after about
six days at which time a patient will no longer be contagious.
It may take another one to two weeks before all of the scabs
finally heal. Once a patient has had chickenpox he or she should
have lifelong immunity.
Treatment
There
is no effective treatment for children who develop uncomplicated
chickenpox, but if a person is given the Varivax vaccine within
three days, and sometimes up to five days of being exposed to
someone with chickenpox, it may help prevent him from becoming
infected.
The
usual treatments are aimed at making a patient more comfortable,
and can include pain relievers, plenty of fluids, oatmeal baths,
calamine lotion, and oral Benadryl for severe itchiness. Also,
the patient should keep his or her fingernails cut short and
allow to wear loose fitting clothing.
Medication
Treatment
with acyclovir, an antiviral medication that can help to decrease
the symptoms of chickenpox, should be considered for children
patient at risk of developing a severe case of chickenpox. This
includes children with pulmonary disorders, on steroid medications,
or with immune system problems.
Another
medication, Varicella Zoster Immune Globulin (VZIG), can be
given as a preventative medication to children at high risk
for developing a severe case of chickenpox as soon as they are
exposed to someone with chickenpox (and within four days) to
help prevent them from getting infected. High risk children
who are considered candidates for VZIG include those with immune
system problems, pregnant women who have never had chickenpox
and newborns whose mother developed chickenpox within five days
before delivery or two days after delivery.
See
Your Doctor
You
should call your doctor if your child has chickenpox and the
blisters become very red and tender, drain pus, if your child
has high fever for more than three to four days or is unconsolable,
has swollen and tender glands or if he is unable to drink and
is becoming dehydrated.
The
patient should keep out of the sun while he has chickenpox and
while the lesions are healing. Being in the sun can cause patient
to become overheated and sweaty, which may make him more uncomfortable
and increase his itching.
Also,
the areas where chickenpox lesions are healing are also more
prone to sunburn until they have totally healed and they are
more likely to permanently scar if exposed to too much direct
sunlight.
