Chicken Pox - A Common Viral Infection
It's a highly contagious common viral infection. The virus (varicella-zoster) belongs to the herpes family. A chicken pox infection is evident by a very itchy rash with small red bumps that blister, drain, and scab over. The good news is that most people only get it once.
Spring and fall often will have a peak in outbreaks.
In the United States, normally most chicken pox virus cases occur in the fifteen year old and under age group, with the majority occurring between five years old and nine years old. Additional information on this virus.
Direct And Indirect Transmission
Direct Transmission
- Common among family members and co-workers due to close contact.
- Contact with airborne particles. Exhaled droplets often enter the air, like by the infected person's cough.
- Contact with the fluids that drains from the blisters.
Indirect Transmission
- Contact with article of clothing or other item infected with fresh drainage from open blisters
Understand Treatment
The mention of treatment for chicken pox, normally brings up the image of sores with calamine lotion dabs all over the body. That is one way of treating it; however, there are others. Read more about Treatment
Chicken Pox Recurrence
- Once infected with chicken pox a person is considered immune.
- It is possible to a chicken pox infection more than once. It will be a mild outbreak and is called a breakthrough infection.
- The re-activated virus will most likely cause shingles.
Chicken Pox and Shingles
The virus that causes chicken pox (varicella) also causes Shingles (zoster), which is the varicella-zoster virus. One of the differences between the two is that shingles commonly affects adults and not children.
What About The Symptoms?
Begin learning about common, stages, and complication related to the Symptom.
