Chicken Pox is among one of the viral diseases that are highly contagious and prevalent among children. The condition is also referred to as Varicella and its early symptoms include the development of papule and vesicles accompanied by fever. In the early years of the disease, scientists were unable to differentiate between chicken pox and small pox until in the 19th century. By the end of the 16th century, Italian scientist Giovani Fillipo describe the first case of chicken pox.Further research work was conducted and in 1767 William Heberden came up with the differentiation between chicken pox and small pox (Presti et al., 2019). After conducting more research, Von Bokay concluded in 1875 that chicken pox is highly contagious due to it causative agent. In his studies, Bokay also made an observation in 1909 that helped in the differentiation of the two diseases. In 1954, Thomas Weller first isolated the causative agent of chicken pox. The first attenuated vaccine of the disease was developed in 1972 by Michiaki Takahashi. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the epidemiology of chicken pox.
The disease is caused by a highly contagious virus, varicella zoster (VZV) that is air-borne. The virus can be spread from an infected person to other people through the droplets from coughing or sneezing that are inhaled by the uninfected person. The virus particles are transmitted when uninfected person comes into contact with the viral particles shed from the patients or through inhalation of contaminated air (Yu, Ashworth, Hughes, & Jones, 2018). There are other unlikely means like sharing items with an infected person and the items were in contact with the open blisters on the patient. Individuals who have never contracted the disease and have not been vaccinated are at a greater risk of contracting the disease. Virology experts consider the VZV to be spread within one to two days upon the blisters from the infected person burst open, however, the incubation period is about 14 to 16 days upon which the symptoms become visible (Presti et al., 2019). The initial stages of disease are characterized by cold-like symptoms of sore throat, fever, running nose and malaise.
The major onset of the major symptoms of disease is marked by the development of the red spots from the trunk and scalp region, and then they spread out to other parts of the body. Red spots also affect the mucus membrane and would be seen spread out in the mouth and also along the nasal cavity. The red spots develop into vesicles that have the shape of a teardrop and within a period of eight hours, they turn into crusty lesions (Gray & Cathie, 2019). Newly formed spots with continue with the development as the old ones dry off and disappear. Research findings reveals that it takes about five days for the development of the new lesions to cease but the crusts take up to twenty days to disappear from the body.
Furthermore, the disease is characterized by an irresistible urge of itching that causes the patient to scratch the vesicles hence increased risk of developing cellulitis. It is a skin condition caused by bacterial infection (Cassidy and McBrien, 2019). There are other symptoms such as inflammation of the brain tissue, death of the soft tissue of the skin, sepsis and a streptococcal infection associated with Reye Syndrome. These additional symptoms are only common to patients who have a weakened immune system. In most of the cases, the diagnosis of the disease is based on the observable symptoms such as fever and a rush. However, additional confirmatory test can be carried out by taking a specimen sample from the lesion and it is cultured for a period of five to ten days.
The treatment of chicken pox is focused on managing the symptoms associated with the disease. The symptoms to be managed include the fever and the itchy rushes on the skin. This treatment model, aims at helping the patient alleviate the discomfort of the symptoms as they might take longer than expected if not treated. It naturally takes about two to three weeks for the symptoms to disappear. The pruritus symptoms are managed by taking antihistamine drugs like Benadryl or Atarax (Shin et al., 2017). The blisters are managed by using a wet compress. NSAIDS such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen are used to relieve the fever.
Additionally, given that the causative agent of the disease is a virus, the disease can further be managed by use of antiviral agents such as acyclovir and Val acyclovir. These pharmacological agents, help in healing process as they reduce the incubation period. The use of these agents is recommended immediately after being infected, to increase their efficiency and effectiveness (Duncan, 2019). The treatment program s
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